Legend Reborn
by princessamaterasu
Summary: In an Alternate Universe where people have wings and gods and goddesses rule the land, Elizabeta and five other champions have been chosen to embark on an epic quest. But will falling in love cost Elizabeta everything? Prussia x Hungary
1. Chapter 1: The Legend

I don't have claim on Hetalia :(

So this story is going to be really different from what I've written before, but I hope you still enjoy it just as much as the others :) I should also mention that I'm in school now so I may not be able to update everyday anymore, but I'll do my best to update frequently.

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There's a legend in the land of Elarium that its inhabitants tell to remind each other of how they came to be and what they have to be grateful for. It goes something like this.

Once, a very long time ago, there was the land, the goddesses, their children, and that was all. There were no angels in those times. Just the first, who is a goddess, Matrisus. She roamed the land with the other goddesses who all lived in harmony with each other and the land. Matrisus is the first angel. She had golden wings unlike her children today. She was the mightiest of all the goddesses, and they served under her as loyal friends.

The first goddess of the three lower goddesses is Urmatri. Urmatri is the creator of the mountains and deep forests where her children, the bears, still roam today. She is the patron of power and courage. Her children are large, strong, and fear nothing. They are steadfast to the end.

The second lower goddess is Lumatri. Lumatri is the creator of large tracts of grasslands and rushing rivers. Her children, the wolves, roam in packs across the grasslands, and drink from her pure waters. She is the patron of agility and family. Her children are lithe, swift, and affectionate. They will never abandon a member of their group.

The third lower goddess is Aquimatri. Aquimatri is the creator of the vast skies and low valleys where her children, the eagles, soar in search of prey. She is the patron of knowledge and justice. Her children are keen, clever, and just. They will always do what they know is right.

These three are not the only goddesses, but they are the three that did the most for Matrisus.

One day, a dark presence disturbed the land of Elarium. A shadow crawled across the land, tainting the hearts of everything it touched. The children of the goddesses of earth and plants were the first to be lost to the shadows, and their mothers quickly followed.

Matrisus began to fear for the fate of the land. She called upon all of the goddesses to assist her fight against the shadows. None of them answered her plea for help, except Urmatri, Lumatri, and Aquimatri. The rest were too scared or too weak. The three goddesses knelt in front of Matrisus and pledged their allegiance to her. They promised to rally their children to the cause.

"I will give you my two fiercest children," Urmatri said to Matrisus. "They are brothers, and will fight courageously." She presented two large bears.

Not to be outdone, Lumatri presented two identical wolves. "I will also give you two brothers," she said to Matrisus. "These twins of mine are the swiftest of my children."

The two goddesses looked at Aquimatri to see what she would offer. "I will give you the wisest and most just of my children," she said to

Matrisus. "My children are clever enough to be worth two of any other mothers' children."

Matrisus and her companions visited the homes of each child to gain the blessings of the goddesses and the land. In the mountains, the bear brothers were blessed with enchanted claws. In the plains, the wolf twins were blessed with heightened senses. In the valleys, the single eagle was blessed with foresight.

The companions continued to the edges of the shadow infection. They fought bravely for many days and nights against the encroaching shadows. Matrisus landed the final blow with her powerful spear. With the threat gone, Matrisus prepared to spread the news of their victory when she became aware of the state of her companions.

Her small group of loyal children lay on the ground behind her dying. They had fought with all of their might. Matrisus knelt next to each child in turn and informed them of their victory. They all raised their voices to the heavens, praising the goddess with their last breath.

Tears began to fall from Matrisus's eyes. She called upon her ancient power to transform each child into an angel like her. Each one with beautiful wings, although not gold like hers, and intricate black tattoos of the animal they used to be. She breathed life back into each angel, one by one. Thus she gave life to the race of angels that still inhabit Elarium today.

"I give you, my children, charge over the land," said to them. "Take care of it until the day I return to you." The strain of creating the other angels took a heavy toll on her body. After speaking those words, Matrisus fell into a deep sleep and faded from sight. Although her physical presence is gone, her consciousness still dwells in the land today and watches over her children.

Her children began to learn about the powers they had been granted by their powerful mother. Each one could soar through the air on their large wings, and jump over the tallest trees. They also discovered they could change back into their previous forms using the magic contained in their tattoos. In this way did each return to their groups and produce offspring. Some of their children could turn into angels, but they could not change back. All they could do was manifest their animal form as a kind of spirit animal. It acted as a companion for them, and a link to their origin. Only the original five children could shift back and forth between animal and angel.

From the original five children, the race of angels grew, and split into three tribes. Each tribe has a different goddess as its patron, but all hold Matrisus, their mother, in the highest regard. And that is how the land of Elarium remains to this day.

* * *

Latin Meanings for Names:

Elarium: formed using elisium de alarum (paradise of wings)

Matrisus: formed using matri de universus (mother of all)

Urmatri: formed using ursus matri (bear mother)

Lumatri: formed using lupus matri (wolf mother)

Aquimatri: formed using aquila matri (eagle mother)


	2. Chapter 2: The Ceremony

The air is filled with an excited buzz as different vendors and merchants peddle their wares, and the scent of cooking food hangs heavily in the air. Underneath all of that I can pick up on the faint scent of alcohol that was probably spilt by some drunks as they stumbled down the busy street. I pass stall after stall full of trinkets and knick knacks people are trying to sell for the ceremony.

"E-Elizabeta! Please slow down!" my best friend calls after me.

"You need to hurry up Kiku!" I call over my shoulder. The short boy does his best to keep up with me. I guess I shouldn't call him a boy since, technically, he's older than me, but he doesn't look his age.

"Can we please not do that again?" he pants when I come to a stop.

I brush away some of my sandy brown hair that's sticking to my sweaty neck before answering. "I just wanted to get good spots in line this year. I feel like we're always at the end."

Kiku looks at me with his dark brown eyes and sighs. "Perhaps you're just too impatient? But I understand what you're saying."

"The clans are just too big. There's too many people participating in the ceremony every year." I huff. "I wish there was a way to make it faster."

Kiku looks around the ceremonial grounds before replying. "Then we should get in our lines because they're starting to curve into the street."

"Shoot!" I turn to look at the line I'm supposed to be in. It's the longest of all four lines. "Dang it! Well I guess I'll see you during the ceremony then Kiku! Bye!" I wave as I run to the end of the line.

Kiku and I had arrived several hours early for the ceremony, so waiting for it to start was awfully boring. I ended up standing behind some Wolves, and they were so obnoxious. They kept talking about which guy they thought was cute or who's outfit was out of style. I don't hate girly things since I'm a bit of a girly girl myself, but I started hating them after listening to their nasally voices talk about them for three hours straight.

Finally the sun has sunk low enough in the sky that the elders begin to light the torches around the circular ceremonial grounds, and on the platform at the northern end. They cast eerie shadows that flicker ominously on the ground. It makes me think of the legend that this whole ceremony is based on. I wonder if it's true, or if it's just a story to explain to children why we have wings and spirit animals.

"It's not just a story...you'll find that out...soon enough..."

I turn my head around, but the voice didn't come from the girls behind me. They give me odd looks as I turn back around. What was that? It didn't sound like the kind of voice I'd want talking to me in the woods at night. I shift my cream colored wings nervously. Then again, I don't want any voices talking to me no matter where I am. I do my best to try to forget about it. That's when I notice the elders climbing onto the platform. We all go silent as we wait for them to begin speaking.

One of the elders, a gray haired man, steps forward and begins to talk. He's a Bear because I can see the Bear tattoo on his right shoulder. "People of the clans! I welcome you to the Ceremony of Legends. Each year we hold this ceremony in honor of our creator and mother, the goddess Matrisus, the first angel, and the valiant effort made by our brothers the bears, the wolves, and the eagle. Some of you may be here for the first time, so I will have elder Marlene explain more."

He steps back and an elderly looking woman steps forward.

"My children," she begins, "it's been a thousand years since our Great Mother battled the shadows to save the land of Elarium. That makes this year's ceremony even more special. Each year we pass around sacred artifacts that belonged to the original member or members of our clans through the youth of our clans. And every year the artifacts respond to the people they think are the best representatives of that clan to perform a reenactment of the quest against the shadows." She stops to cough a few times and clear her throat. "As is tradition, we will begin with the Bears."

I look over at Kiku, who is shifting his black wings nervously. He doesn't like standing in front of people. His spirit animal, a peregrine falcon, is perched on his shoulder, and he's presumably talking to it. He's too nervous to look over at me so I look back to what's going on in the ceremony.

Two necklaces have been set up in the center of the circles on a table, and they have each set of brothers walk up to it in turn. The Bears have the second shortest line because their candidates must be brothers like the legend says. Each set of brothers approaches the necklace and does the customary salute of the Bear clan, which is making a claw with your hand over your heart. The line is already halfway through, and the relics haven't reacted at all.

I stifle a yawn as the ceremony continues. I'm so tired from all the festivities this last week leading up to the ceremony that I might just fall asleep on my feet. I wish I could call out a spirit animal, but, for whatever reason, I've never been able to do it. I place a hand on my upper right chest where my Eagle tattoo is. Maybe it's broken, or maybe I'm broken.

My thoughts are interrupted by a glowing coming from the center of the circle. The necklaces are giving off a bright light. I look at the brothers standing in front of it, but it's hard to see them with all that light. The light begins to fade, but the necklaces still give off a faint glow. An excited chattering goes through the crowd. The relics have never reacted like this before. I look to the platform to see the elders discussing things among themselves.

The Bear that spoke in the beginning steps forward to speak again. "We have found our champions from the Bear clan!" A roar comes from the section made up mostly by Bears. There's a fluttering of wings as some people jump high into the air in their excitement. "If our champions could step this way, then we can explain to them their roles this year."

The two brothers walk in the direction indicated. It's hard to imagine they're actually brothers. The tall one is blonde and brawnier than the short one, who looks albino. I don't get a chance to look at their faces before they disappear from my sight.

A middle aged woman steps forward and addresses the crowd. "As is tradition, the Wolves will go next."

The Wolf line is the shortest of all the lines because their candidates must be twins, and they're pretty rare. The line has maybe a dozen sets of twins in it. Each pair of twins approaches their artifact in turn. There are two identical looking leather armbands that replaced the necklaces on the table in the circle. There hasn't been a response to the few twins that have already saluted the relics. The salute of the Wolves is to touch their hand to their heart and then touch whoever, or whatever, they're saluting.

The crowd watches tensely as more Wolves salute in this manner with no luck. It's down to the last few twins. One set of twin brothers approach the artifacts and do their salute. As soon as they touch the armbands they begin to glow as brightly as the necklaces do. A cheer of howls comes from the Wolf section as the light fades.

"The champion for the Wolves!" the same middle aged lady from earlier announces. I assume she must be an elder from the Wolf clan.

The two twins walk in the same direction as the Bears and disappear. This time I was able to get a quick look at their faces. One has darker reddish brown hair than the other and looks a lot more serious. The other has a spacey expression on his face as he beams at his brother. Both have odd little curls that stick out of their heads. They're very different from the two Bears that were selected earlier.

A withered old man steps forward to speak, and the crowd quiets down once again. "As is tradition, we'll have the Eagles next," he says in a frail voice. I recognize him as one of the elders from my, and Kiku's, clan.

I look at Kiku again, and this time he's looking at me. I give him a thumbs up and a smile, but all he does is gulp and nod nervously. His spirit animal vanishes as his line begins moving. The line he's in is the second longest because every single Eagle that's the required age has to salute the artifact.

The leather armbands have been replaced by a single silver ring. The salute of the Eagles is simply a bow, so everyone to approach the ring bows. The line is moving, but not fast enough for me. I'm starting to get a little impatient, but I tell myself that the champion may be near the front of the line and not the back. At least I hope.

It's finally Kiku's turn to salute, and I watch him closely. He seemed so nervous up to this point, but now he looks fairly calm. He actually looks transfixed on the ring as he bends at the waist to bow. As soon as he does the ring begins to glow like the other relics. I look on in shock as the light fades to a faint glow around the ring. Kiku is one of the champions?

"The champion for the Eagles!" our elder cries in a shaky voice. Screaming and screeching come from the Eagle section, and many are flapping their wings.

Kiku gives me one last look before walking away like the others. I worry about my best friend, but if the artifact chose him, then there must be a reason.

"There is...always a reason..."

I try not to react to the voice this time, but it creeps me out a little. Why can't anyone else hear it? Maybe I really am broken.

My thoughts are interrupted when the elders take the ring of the table and replace it with a spear. It's not just any old spear. That spear is supposedly the same one the Great Mother used in her battle against the shadows. I've seen it many times at this ceremony before, but this year it draws my gaze. I feel compelled to skip past everyone in line and pick up the sleek weapon.

I'm snapped out of my daydreaming when the line begins to move forward. My line is by far the longest because it contains every single girl of age from all three clans. Luckily, I'm in the front half of it and not the back. I watch each girl salute the spear in the manner of her clan before walking away. My heart skips with joy when I get closer and closer to the spear.

I can't quite explain why I feel this way this year. Usually I just want to get it over with so I can get to the huge party after the ceremony, but this year is different. The line moves at a painfully slow rate. I ruffle my wings anxiously as I get closer little by little. Soon the spear is only a few people away, and I have to fight the urge to push those people aside so I can have my chance.

The girls in front of me salute and walk away, disappointed that the spear didn't choose them. It's now my turn to salute the artifact with a bow, but I don't. All I can do is stare at the weapon in front of me. It's beckoning to me, I can feel it. A voice fills my mind, but I can't make out the words. This voice is much different than the voice from before. It's warmer and kinder. Without thinking I pick the spear up in my hands. There's intricate carvings in the smooth wood that draws my attention, and I brush my fingertips over them lightly.

"You can't touch that!" someone behind me yells.

Their voice snaps me out of the trance I was in, and I become aware of everyone looking at me. The elders watch curiously, but they don't do anything. Before I can move to set the spear down, I feel an intense heat well up from inside me. I close my eyes as the heat completely envelops me. Gasps and shocked cries come from the crowd, which makes me open my eyes in curiosity.

That's when I realize I'm completely engulfed in flames.


	3. Chapter 3: Our Roles

I'm not sure what I should do in this situation. I would most likely start rolling on the ground or something to get the fire out, but the weird thing is this fire doesn't hurt. I still feel heat radiating off of it, and the smell of burning feathers clogs my nose, but I don't feel any pain. I lift my hand up to my face. It hasn't been touched by the fire at all, and neither has the spear I've been holding.

The crowd is screaming suggestions at the elders. Some say to get some water, others want them to save the spear, and a few are shouting that I'm some kind of demon and should be killed. The elders whisper to each other before nodding. It looks like they've decided what they should do with me. They make their way down from the platform and stand in front of me, but they do not approach any further. The crowd goes silent in anticipation.

The flames don't give any sign of dying down, which is strange because they don't seem to be burning anything. I begin to feel an odd sensation on my upper left chest, right over my heart. It's not exactly pain, but it's not comfortable either. I slowly pull my wings out and give them a few good flaps. This clears away all of the flames in an instant.

Everyone gasps but me. I look around at all the people staring transfixed at me, but then I realize they aren't looking at me at all. They're looking at my extended wings. I glance behind me to see what all the fuss is about and gasp myself. They're gold. Each feather glistens and shines in the torchlight and makes my wings appear as if they've been covered in a fine layer of gold dust.

I turn back to the elders with the spear still in my hands. "What's happening to me?"

"I think I can...help explain..." the same eerie voice calls. It makes my neck prickle nervously, and I can tell the others in the crowd are made uneasy by it too. They can hear it this time.

A figure appears out of the shadows of the platform and walks into the center of the circle. His appearance is that of a shadow, his skin the color of charcoal. He looks more like a ghost or an apparition than a being with physical substance, and, sure enough, he walks through a torch as he moves closer to me.

"You see...a long...long time ago...I had a fight with...that pesky goddess of yours," he says with a sneer. I can't see his face under the hood of his black cloak, but I can see his mouth as he talks to me. "She beat me...and sent me back...to the underworld...but I'm back now...and she knew...that I would be...so she prepared...five champions...and a hero...to fight me in her place."

I stare at him in disbelief. "You're the shadow that threatened all of Elarium?"

The shadowy figure takes a bow. "The one...and only...and now I'm here...to get rid of you...before you can complete...your quest...and then...nothing can stop me!" He raises a hand and chants some nonsense words.

Several shadowy figures emerge from the ground. They look like people, but they don't have faces or wings. The shadow figure points at me and shouts some more nonsense that the things he summoned seem to understand. They come running at me.

I tighten my hold on the spear and try to come up with some kind of strategy. I'm not even sure how to properly wield this thing. As soon as I think that, a memory flashes in my mind of expertly spinning and slashing with the spear. I brace myself as the shadows approach. The first one gets impaled straight in the chest, and dissolves into nothingness. The second and third receive a large slash down their fronts. I jump over the last shadow and stick the spear right through its back. There's no trace of any of the shadow creatures as I turn to face the shadow figure. Everything went down in a matter of seconds.

"You're better...than I expected...I hope...you train while you can...because the next time...we meet...I'll be stronger," the shadow figure growls. He takes a few steps back and melts into the shadow of a torch.

There's silence as everyone tries to digest what just happened. I look down at the spear in my hands. I don't understand how I handled it so well since I've never used a spear before in my life. Then who's memories did I see? I don't have time to think about it because someone places their hand on my back.

"Elizabeta," the frail elder from my clan wheezes out. "Please come with us. You are our final champion."

The elders lead me past the platform to a large building just outside the festival grounds. I still have the spear in my hand when they lead me down a long hallway. No one has asked for it back, so I guess I should hang onto it. They open the last door in the hall, and I can see the other champions relaxing inside a comfortable looking room.

"Elizabeta!" Kiku says in surprise. "You've been chosen as well?"

I nod. "Yeah, but it was a lot weirder than what you had to go through."

"W-what happened to your wings?" The question draws everyone's attention to my now golden wings.

"I, um...don't know," I answer truthfully. "I was hoping someone could tell me."

"All questions will be answered in due time," the elderly woman says. I think her name is Marlene. "Everyone please sit down and make yourselves comfortable." We all do as she says. "Good. Now I think the first piece of business is introductions. As you already know, I am elder Marlene of the Bear." She sits slightly hunched over in her chair.

"I am elder Gavin, also of the Bear," the big bearded man says. "I'm training to replace elder Marlene eventually." He's the one who began the ceremony.

"I am elder Selene of the Wolf," the middle aged woman says. She has rather sharp features that make her look kind of strict, but her voice sounds kind and motherly.

"And I am elder Methuselah of the Eagle," the frail elder of my clan says. He holds his wooden cane in his lap as he sits. He's probably the oldest of the elders.

Elder Marlene invites the white haired Bear to speak first, and I assume we'll go around from there.

"Kesesese. My name is Gilbert Beilschmidt and this is my little brother Ludwig," he says as he points to the blonde next to him. "We're Bears." I'm having a tough time believing that the taller one is actually the younger brother.

"My name is Lovino Vargas," the darker haired of the two twins says. "I'm a Wolf."

"Veee~! My name is Feliciano Vargas, and I'm a Wolf just like my older brother! He was born first, but we're still twins! I like pizza and pasta and-"

"Shut up you idiot! No one wants to hear all of that!" Lovino had covered his brother's mouth to stop his rambling, and is now giving Feliciano's head a good shake.

"Um, my name is Kiku Honda, and I am an Eagle," Kiku says shyly. "Nice to meet everyone."

Everyone turns to look at me when it's my turn. Even Feliciano has quieted down. "My name is Elizabeta Héderváry and I'm an Eagle."

"Or you thought you were," elder Methuselah says. "Let us see your animal tattoo."

I pull the collar of the tunic I'm wearing down to show them my tattoo, but it's not there. "What? Where did it go?" Then I remember that odd feeling I got while I was on fire, so I check the other side. Sure enough, my animal tattoo has moved from the right side of my chest to the left, right over my heart.

"What animal is that?" elder Selene asks the other elders. "I've never seen anything like it."

I look down again to see what she's talking about. On closer inspection I also notice it's not a normal Eagle tattoo. It still looks like a bird, but the beak is thinner and longer, and the head is not as thick. The bird also has three distinct feathers coming off the top of its head.

"It's a phoenix," elder Marlene explains. "A symbol of rebirth or renewal." She looks me straight in the eye. "You have been chosen to relive the role of the goddess Matrisus on her quest to save Elarium."

My mouth drops, as do several others. "Y-you mean like in the legend?" I ask in disbelief.

"Exactly," the old lady answers. "The others also play important roles in the quest."

"So you mean we're like the animals the Great Mother had as companions?" Gilbert ask. Marlene nods. "Why do we have to do this? Why can't we just put on that silly play like every other year?"

"Because the shadows are rising," elder Methuselah tells him.

"You mean those things I had to fight off were the shadows from the legend?" I ask. I get several nods. "Then that must mean the cloaked figure is...?"

"The one our Great Mother had to defeat in the final battle." Gavin speaks for the first time in a while. "It's been a thousand years since he was sent back to the underworld. He seems weak now, but his power is gathering. That's why it's important you act quickly."

The six of us look at each other in shock as we try to understand what's being asked of us. We're the ones they want to save all of Elarium?

"There must be some kind of mistake," Lovino mutters under his breath. He's spoken the thoughts of the other five champions.

"There is no mistake!" Methuselah insists in a loud voice. "The sacred relics chose you, and they are linked to the will of our three patron goddesses. They do not make mistakes!" He starts coughing and wheezing from his outburst.

The six of us get rid of any excuses we had for not going on this quest. We don't really have a choice in the matter.

"You must prepare to leave soon," elder Selene tells us. "Haste is of the essence. You must first go through a cleansing ritual, and then we will take you somewhere to be fitted for your quest."

"What say you?" Marlene asks us. There's no answer at first. "What say you?" she insists.

I stand up, and all eyes turn to me. "I say, let's do this thing."


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations

I probably shouldn't have been so quick to volunteer for this. When they said "cleansing ritual" they really just meant "vigorous washing". I'm pushed and pulled in a deep tub as several women fuss over me. Usually I would love a day at the spa, but not when they scrub me top to bottom with rough brushes. My skin is all red by the time they're done scrubbing me down.

I run my fingers through my soft brown hair as I wait in a bathrobe for my outfit to arrive. The one good thing out of this madness is that my hair is as smooth as silk, and it smells pretty good too. Actually, I smell pretty good in general. I stop sniffing my hair just as a young girl walks in with the clothes I'm supposed to change into. I ruffle my wings slightly in embarrassment, and I'm glad she didn't see me.

The little girl leads me to a smaller room down the hall. I admire her chestnut colored wings as I follow her. I wonder what clan she's from. The air is cooler in this room and I shiver. She closes the door behind her without saying a word. I feel like a freak or something because the women washing me didn't say anything to me either, but I did notice them staring at my wings a few times. I look at myself in the full length mirror on the wall opposite the door. I let my wings slowly extend out from my back, and look at them carefully. They're the same size and everything as before, but, instead of the cream feathers they used to have, they're a shimmering gold.

I stroke a soft wing before pulling them both back. An angel's wings actually fold very close to their body, and it's hard to even see them unless they're standing sideways. I turn sideways to see how they look from that angle. Still gold, and still not normal. I sigh and begin to untie my bathrobe to change. I pause to look at my tattoo in the mirror too. Instead of the eagle that's been there all my life, I see what elder Marlene called a phoenix. Quickly, I turn away from the mirror and sit on the floor with my head down. I haven't gotten used to the idea of being like the Great Mother yet.

"Isn't there anything left of me?" I whisper to myself.

"Of course, child."

I snap my head up, but there's no one in the room. "W-who's there?" I say, even though I can see there's no one else in the room.

"A friend," the voice answers. I'm getting a little wary of strange voices since the last one turned out to be the enemy of Elarium.

"Show yourself!" I demand. I feel exposed in just a bathrobe, but maybe if I sound confident, I'll be confident.

An odd smoke like substance begins to swirl up from the floor to form a spectral figure in front of me. I stand up to look at it face to face. The figure is female, and an angel like me. I start to feel a little better knowing she's not a shadow.

"Who are you?" I ask the figure.

"I have many names, but most call me the Great Mother," the figure replies.

I look at the ghostly figure in shock. This is the Great Mother Matrisus? She has long flowing hair that almost reaches the floor, and wears a shimmering dress. Her face is soft and kind, but also appears worried. She's not the way I imagined.

"Why are you...um...well..." I don't know how to phrase the question, so I gesture to her smoky looking body with my hands instead.

"Like a ghost?" she finishes for me.

"Um, yeah."

"After my battle with Kirkland I had to use my power to revive my companions," she explains. "In order to do so I had to give up my physical form, and only my conscious remains in Elarium. Sometimes I can manifest myself like this, but never for too long."

"That's right," I say as I remember the legend. "Wait, who's Kirkland?"

The Great Mother looks down. "Arthur Kirkland. The shadow that tried to consume Elarium all those years ago, and the same one that is threatening the land today."

"So the shadow figure I saw today was him?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. That is why I chose a new group of champions to complete the same quest as I, to stop him once again."

"Why did you pick me?" I blurt out. "I...I don't know if I can do this."

"My dear Elizabeta," she says kindly. She reaches out a ghostly hand and places it on my cheek. "I cannot answer all of your questions now, but I can tell you this. You were born to play this role, but you are still a distinct and unique individual. You must have faith in your abilities, and the abilities of your companions. I will guide you when I can, but if you ever need help, look here." She moves her hand from my cheek and places it over my heart. I look down to see where she's indicating because I can't actually feel her hand.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I look up. The smoke that's forming her figure is slowing starting to dissipate.

"You will know...in time..." The Great Mother's voice fades out as the last of the smoke disappears.

I stare at the spot she once stood for a few moments before continuing to change. My life is never going to be the same, I think to myself as I slip out of the bathrobe. I dress as quickly as I can, then check in the mirror to make sure I look decent. They gave me a new tunic that's a lot sturdier than the one I was wearing. In fact, all of my new clothes, from the pants to the belt to the boots, feel sturdy and highly durable. I'm not sure if that's a good sign of what's to come or not.

I open the door to my room and peek out into the hall. Both rooms are still inside the large building where I met the other champions, but I have no idea where I am. The hallway is empty, so I swing the door open completely, and step out of the room. My eyes are immediately drawn to the large tapestry at the end of the hall. I walk toward it to get a closer look, and realize it's a depiction of the battle against the shadows. Against Kirkland.

My eyes focus on the one angel in the middle of the image. She has long hair and golden wings. That must be the Great Mother, even though the weaved figure doesn't look exactly like the real goddess. I look at the other figures and see two bears, two wolves, and an eagle all fighting shadows along side her. I wonder what it must have been like for them.

"I see you're ready to proceed."

I jump almost three feet into the air. "You scared me!" I say to the person behind me. It turns out to be elder Marlene with a slightly amused look on her face.

"Come with me dear. The other champions are getting their supplies."

I follow her as we walk silently through the large stone halls of the building. There are different tapestries and murals on the walls with images of various places in Elarium. Torches have been secured to the walls in between each image, and flicker as we walk past.

"What is this building exactly?" I ask.

"It was made in preparation of this day," she answers without turning around. "It houses anything the champions could possibly need for their quest. It's been long foretold that you would embark on this journey."

"Oh," I say to her last statement. I guess that's classified elder information because I never knew this was supposed to happen.

Elder Marlene stops at a large set of wooden double doors. "The others are already inside." She gestures with a hand for me to enter.

I push open the doors, and all eyes fall on me.

"Oh! (Y/n)!" Kiku exclaims in surprise.

"It's about time you showed up!" the one with the white hair yells. I think his name is Gilbert. "Pack up some gear!"

I walk to the nearest table that has only a large leather bag on it. I assume the others already grabbed theirs. I look around to see what kind of stuff they have for us to take on our trip. One section of the room is mostly food, and the Vargas twins are digging around in it. Another section is mostly clothes and different fabrics. The third is various random items that don't fit in the other two categories like pots, torches, medicine, and soap. Gilbert and Kiku are sorting through stuff there.

I'm about to join them when I see the tall blonde Bear, Ludwig, working on something at a table. He's busily writing something on a piece of yellowed parchment paper next to a candle. This makes me curious, so I go over to see what he's up to. I crane my neck around his broad shoulders to read what he's writing. It's a very organized list of supplies broken down into groups of six. Each group is labeled with the name of someone in our group.

"That's a pretty good system," I tell Ludwig. "We should use it. Everyone is just grabbing stuff left and right."

He gives me a sideways glance. "Do you think so?"

"Yes! It's efficient and practical. Just what we need on a journey like this."

He nods in agreement. "If only my brother thought so. He thinks my lists are a waste of time." A small, sad smile tugs at his lips.

I pick up the list and make my way to the center of the room. "Okay everyone, listen up! Ludwig's come up with a plan for what we should pack, so everyone empty your bags."

Everyone turns to look at me. Kiku and Feliciano begins unpacking their bags, but the other two look at me stubbornly.

"Why should we listen to you?" Lovino asks rather nastily. "Do you think you can boss us around now that you're supposed to be the Great Mother?"

"No," I say in shock. "I just thought Ludwig had a good idea. It makes sense to pack efficiently, and only what we really need."

"I-I agree with Elizabeta," Kiku says nervously. "It would be better-"

"Stay out of it pipsqueak," Gilbert growls.

Soon the room is full of yelling, accusations, and pointing fingers. I look around in dismay. This is the group I'm supposed to lead to save Elarium? They can't even cooperate long enough to pack.

"Everyone quiet!" I shout over the noise. It becomes silent as several angry eyes focus on me. "Look, I know this is weird for everyone, and none of you asked to be here. But the fate of everything we know hangs in the balance here. We need to do this, and if we're going to stand a chance at being successful we need to make sure we bring the right things."

"But-"

I harden my gaze and glare at Lovino. He closes his mouth without another word. "Please, just listen to what Ludwig has, and who knows? Maybe it'll make sense to you too." I give everyone one more pointed look. "Or we can do this the hard way."

No one opposes the idea anymore, so I hand Ludwig his paper back so he can explain.

"Well, the general idea is that we only take what we need," he explains. "I calculated how much food we'll need, and we can easily find more on the way. I've also made a list of supplies we'll definitely need to bring. Then I took all of that and split it into groups of six, with each group representing one of us. Some of us are carrying heavier things because we're stronger than others. That way we can maximize our rate of movement and not have anyone fall behind."

Everyone stares at the tall Bear.

"That's...actually pretty smart," Lovino mumbles. "Stupid Bear bastard...making me look like an idiot..."

"Wow West. Are your plans always this good?" Gilbert asks as he takes the paper out of Ludwig's hand.

I smile at my victory. Maybe this group can get along together after all.

The six of us pack everything according to Ludwig's plan. Ludwig, Gilbert, and Lovino are carrying small tents because they're the strongest in the group. The others, including me, are carrying more of the cooking equipment and extra clothes.

Elder Methuselah peeks his head inside around the time we're finishing up. "Ready to move on?" he asks in his frail voice.

He leads us to another part of the building, and stops at a small wooden door. It pushes open easily, and reveals a large room full of scrolls and books of all kinds.

"This is the record room. Here you may find some helpful reference materials," Methuselah explains as he walks back out into the hall. He closes the door softly behind him.

All of us simultaneously look at Ludwig. He stares back at us before becoming flustered.

"W-why are you all staring me?"

"Well, we're waiting to hear your plan for this," I explain. "Obviously you're the best one for this kind of thing."

He nods thoughtfully. After a few moments of deep though, he walks to a shelf full of scrolls and begins digging around. "We'll need several maps. One of Elarium, one of the Bears' land, one of the Wolves' land, and one of the Eagles' land."

Lovino and Kiku begin to search for the requested items.

"We also need rolls of blank paper," Ludwig instructs Feliciano. The energetic Wolf bounces away to find some. "Here," Ludwig says as he hands me a scroll. "I thought you might want this."

"What is it?" I ask curiously. I unfurl a section of it to get a better look.

"It's a copy of the prophecy," he explains. "It might be useful."

"Thank you," I say as I look up from the scroll. Ludwig is a pretty thoughtful guy. I slip the scroll into my brown leather pack.

Lovino, Kiku, and Feliciano all return, with scrolls clutched in their hands, at the same time. We find space for them in Kiku's pack. Elder Gavin appears in the doorway as soon as we're finished in the record room. How do they know just when to appear? He leads us to another section of the building we haven't been in yet. We stop at a set of large double doors that have iron trim, and big iron rings on the front.

"This is the armory," Gavin tells us as he pulls the heavy doors open. "You can stock up on all sorts of weapons here. Enjoy."

"Enjoy?" I murmur to myself. Men and their weapons.

He wasn't kidding about the "all sorts of weapons" part. There's practically anything I could imagine stocked on the shelves and walls of the room. Swords, rapiers, and cutlasses fill a large shelf to the left. The far wall is covered in all sorts of maces, axes, spears, javelins, and war hammers. Small weapons, close combat weapons, and throwing weapons are on a small shelf on the right, and next to that is a shelf full of archery equipment. There are also several tables in the center of the room that contain other odd weapons, or extra weapons that don't fit on their respective shelves.

The Wolf twins head straight for the swords, and the other brothers go for the large selection of axes. I shudder when I think about what they could do with those weapons. We've all been trained in handling weapons since we were young, but it's never been something I was particularly fond of.

"I think I'm going to look at bows," Kiku tells me.

I watch him walk away before looking around for anything I want to carry. I've never been good with large or heavy weapons, so I avoid those. I browse through the shelf with smaller weapons on them, and realize they have a lot of stuff I've never seen before. There are small blades or poisonous darts I can hide in my feathers that can be flung at enemies with one powerful stroke of my wings. At least, that's what the instructions on a small piece of paper say I should do with them. I don't think I'll use those.

I move on to a large collection of small knives next to some throwing stars. I pick up a couple and judge their weight. I'm actually pretty good with a knife, and can wield or throw one with skill. I find a sleek pair of throwing knives that I like, and look around for something to aim for. Gilbert is standing next to a large wooden shield that would make an excellent target. I pull my arm back, and throw the knife across the room. It imbeds itself, blade first, into the shield, only a hair's breadth from Gilbert's nose.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" he yells as I come to retrieve the knife. "Are you trying to hit me?"

"Obviously not since I hit the shield," I reply. I pry the knife out of the wood and give it a good look. Not a scratch. "If I was aiming for you, I would've hit you."

"I guess you're right," Gilbert mumbles. He fixes his striking red eyes on me. "You're actually pretty good."

"Thanks," I say with a smile. "I think I'll hold onto these." I slip a knife into each of my boots.

Gilbert watches me walk back to the knives with an odd expression on his face. I don't dwell on it because another knife catches my eye. This one has a sheath with it, and I carefully pull it out. It's a beautiful silver knife with a blade as long as my hand. I grip the handle comfortably, and give the air a few good slashes. Satisfied, I sheath the blade and strap it to my belt.

Nothing else appeals to me, so I wait for everyone else to finish selecting their weapons. Feliciano and Lovino have both settled on a steel sword each, which is a common weapon for a Wolf, and Lovino also has a set of knives strapped to his thighs. Gilbert and Ludwig have decided to carry axes, which is a traditional weapon for Bears. Ludwig has a large, double edged axe, that takes two hands to wield, strapped under his pack. Gilbert has two, single edged axes sheathed around his waist.

The last one to get weapons is Kiku. He has a sleek, dark wood bow, and quiver full of arrows, attached to either side of his pack. I know he's an amazing shot, so I feel confident with his choice. He's currently looking at some of the odd weapons on the tables. Something catches his eye because he moves to a different table and picks something up. We watch him unsheathe a slender katana, and hold it up to the candle light coming from a few large chandeliers.

"Wow Kiku...do you know how to use that?" I ask him.

"Yes, I think so," he answers with a nod. "I've never seen one so well crafted before." He slides the beautiful sword back in its sheath, and ties it around his waist.

"All ready?" elder Selene asks from the doorway. No one noticed her enter.

"As ready as we'll ever be," I say on behalf of the group.

"This is for you as well," the elder says as she hands me an odd looking spear.

I recognize the strange designs from the Great Mother's spear, but this one is much shorter. Otherwise it has the same wooden shaft, bone spearhead, and odd carvings.

"What is this? It looks like the spear I had." I look at Selene for clarification.

"It is the spear," she says with a small grin. "It extends at the will of the Great Mother. Perhaps you'll be able to bring out its final form as well."

I look down at the short spear in my hands, and scrunch my eyebrows together. How am I supposed to do that? A memory flashes across my mind of making the spear extend by holding it out and sliding one hand down the shaft. I look around in surprise. Is the Great Mother helping me like she said she would?

There can be nothing to lose from trying, so I hold the spear a little ways away from me. I can feel energy pulsing through the weapon. I slide my hand down the shaft, and the spear lengthens as if by magic.

"How did you do that Elizabeta?" Feliciano asks me with wide, excited eyes.

"I don't know," I admit. "I just kind of...did." I slide my hand back the other way, and the spear shrinks in size. Now it's back to the perfect size to strap on the top of my pack.

The other three elders appear from around the corner, and join elder Selene. They carry different color cloaks, which they hand out to us. The Bears get burnt red cloaks, the Wolves get forest green cloaks, and Kiku gets dark cerulean cloak. Mine appears gray at first, but is actually a dull silver color. We pull our wings in tighter as we put our cloaks on over our packs.

"Your journey will not be easy," elder Methuselah cautions. "You must remain vigilant!" He coughs a few times after giving his warning.

"The shadow will not rest until you defeat it. You must not let it win," elder Selene says sternly.

"Be strong. Remember your lineage, and your training," elder Gavin advises.

"And above all," elder Marlene adds, "have faith in each other and the goddesses. They will watch over you as you watch over one another." She looks at each of us in turn. "Good luck my dears. We will hope and pray for your safety."

We salute the elders in thanks, and in turn they return the gesture.

"MarryAnn will show you out," Selene says. She gestures to a young girl that I recognize as the girl that brought me my clothes. The girl bows. "Good luck to you all," the elder says kindly.

The six of us turn away from the four elders, and follow the girl through the large building, unsure of what we're about to set out to do.


	5. Chapter 5: Departure

We don't get far before we run into our first problem.

"Everyone!" Feliciano calls from the back of the group. We all stop and wait for him to catch up since he walks so slowly. His spirit animal lopes next to him as he jogs. "Italy here asked a really good question," Feliciano says.

"Oh really," his twin says skeptically.

"Yes!" Feliciano insists. "He asked me where we're going."

The six of us look at each other with blank stares. We hadn't thought about that.

"Hmm, that is important," Kiku says thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should go to the Bears' territory first," I suggest.

"Why would we do that? I don't want to go anywhere near those Bear bastards' land," Lovino snarls.

"Hey! You got something against Bears?" Gilbert says angrily as he approaches the shorter Wolf.

"Maybe. Maybe not," Lovino wrinkles his nose. "Now get your ugly face away from mine."

"Oh, you did it now," Gilbert spits as he grabs the front of Lovino's shirt.

"Guys! Knock it off!" I shout before anything else happens. "Now isn't the time! We need to get moving." I notice the sun is starting to peek over the horizon. Looks like we had been awake all night preparing.

"I agree with Elizabeta," Ludwig says. He pulls his brother away from Lovino. "We need to move, and we need to go to the Bear Temple."

Gilbert's face immediately shifts to curiosity at the mention of the Temple. "Why there West?"

"Yeah, why there?" I ask. Ludwig must be on to something.

"If we're supposed to be recreating the journey the Great Mother went on, then we have to go to each territory in order from Bear, Wolf, and Eagle," he explains. He pauses to make sure we're following his logic. "Well, the legend doesn't specify what they do there, but it does say they get blessings from the goddesses."

I whip out my copy of the legend. "_Matrisus and her companions visited the homes of each child to gain the blessings of the goddesses and the land_," I read out loud.

"Yes, and where's the best place to get a goddess's blessing?" Ludwig asks with a raised eyebrow.

"The Bear Temple," Gilbert concludes with a big grin. "You're a genius West!"

"And I was trying to tell you the same thing the whole time," I mumble to myself, but I'm ignored, again.

We find which way is southwest, and begin walking again. The ceremonial grounds are a small circle of land in the very center of Elarium, and the territories of each clan surround it on three sides. The Bears to the southwest, the Wolves to the southeast, and the Eagles in the north.

I can see the mountains of the Bears as we reach the edge of the ceremonial land. The forest looms directly ahead, and we pause before entering. Everyone is exhausted from getting no sleep the night before, and the sun is already half way to its zenith.

"I can't take another step," Feliciano whines as he flops to the ground. His wolf gives his face a few licks.

"Yeah, I'm tired too," I say with a yawn. "Maybe we should stop here."

"We can't," Kiku says as he stops next to me. "We should keep walking while it's still light out." He has a map out and is plotting our course. Looks like he's our official guide on this journey, which is fine because he has a knack for that sort of thing.

"I agree with Kiku," Ludwig says in his deep voice. "We should keep moving."

We grudgingly continue, and trudge through our fatigue. We stop twice to eat, and once at a stream to fill our water pouches. Our group stops for the day as the sun begins to set, so we put up our tents and light a fire.

"Sweet relief," I sigh as I settle in front of the fire. I give my wings a good stretch, and they glitter in the firelight. I notice a few people staring, and I pull them back self consciously.

The silence is only disturbed by Feliciano snoring in front of the fire, his light brown wings sprawled out with the rest of his limbs. Italy, his spirit animal, has disappeared, but other people's are sitting with their respective owner. Gilbert is sitting on the opposite side of the fire from me, and he's talking to a large, snowy white bear, who's fur matches Gilbert's pure white wings. I can't hear what he's saying, but I can hear him laughing. The bear must have said something funny, but I can't hear since spirit animals converse with their partners telepathically.

A pang of jealousy stings my heart, and I look away. Having a spirit animal is something I've longed for my entire life. I try to distract myself by looking around our little camp. Ludwig and Kiku are looking at maps and planning our course. Those two seem to get along very well, which can't be said about certain other members of our group. Lovino is sitting by himself at the edge of camp, and I decide to join him.

"Hey," I say quietly as I sit next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping watch," he says curtly.

"Oh, do you think it's necessary?"

"Of course it's necessary, idiot," he growls. "What if the shadows come back?"

I hadn't thought about that. "I guess you're right...wait, you heard about that?"

"Yeah, they told us while you we're taking forever to change," Lovino says with a sideways glance at me.

"Oh," I say. I don't know what to say to him. He's so distant and cold.

"If you're just looking for someone to talk to, you should go talk to that Bear bastard over there," he says with a glance in Gilbert's direction. "I'm trying to keep watch, so quit distracting me."

I get up with a sigh and walk back to the fire. My attempt to be friendly didn't end as well as I wanted it to. I debate between sitting back down and just going to bed. I decide on going to bed, and head toward the tent I'm sharing with Kiku. A shiver runs down my spine as I get closer to the edge of the woods. I pause to peer into its depth, and I swear I can see glowing red eyes looking back at me, but I can't see who they belong to.

"Hello...Elizabeta..." a familiar voice says. "I'm back."

I stumble backward as shadows burst from the forest. These are not the same as the ones I fought before. They fly thought the air with loud shrieks and look like large bats. I don't have my spear on me, but I do have my knife, so I slide it out and start blocking attacks from the shadow's claws. More of the humanoid shadows I fought before slowly emerge from the forest as well.

Gilbert has joined me with his two axes, and his spirit animal does its best to bat the flying shadows out of the air. Ludwig and Kiku pull out their weapons, but Lovino has beat them to the fight. He's a brown blur that brings destruction as it weaves between foes. Shadow a turn to dust under his lighting fast blade.

"Someone get in the air!" he shouts as he takes out some more walking shadows. "Hurry up!"

Gilbert's spirit animal fades away as he bursts open his white wings, and takes off with a powerful downward stroke. He engages the flying shadows with taunts and aerial maneuvers.

"Come and catch me! Kesesesesesese!" he shouts as he flys rings around the winged shadows. He hacks and slices them with his axes until they turn to dust.

Ludwig and Kiku hold their own. Ludwig wields his double edged axe as if it weighs nothing. He hacks shadows in half with one swing, and uses the same momentum to spin the axe and take out another walking shadow. Even more impressive is Kiku. He has his bow out and drops shadow after shadow out of the sky until the walking shadows surround him. He lets his bow fall to the ground to as he draws his shining katana. Three quick slashes leave the whole group of shadows cut in half before they dissolve into dust. I guess Kiku really does know how to handle that thing.

They continue to fight impressively, but they're becoming overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of shadows that continue to pour out of the woods. I'm so distracted watching them that I don't notice an incoming attack until the last minute.

"Get your head out of the clouds and pay attention!" Lovino shouts over the screeching and growling of the shadows. "We're under attack if you haven't noticed!"

Lovino and I are fighting back to back, but there's only so much I can do with just a knife. I wish with all my might that I had my spear.

"We're not going to make it," I cry in frustration. What am I supposed to do in this situation?

That's when the words of the Great Mother come into my mind. "...if you ever need help, look here."

I think about what she could mean. How is my heart supposed to help? I block another attack from the claws that extend out of a shadow's arms where its hands should be, and slice at its neck. Maybe she didn't mean my heart at all. Maybe she was talking about my animal tattoo, and that could only mean one thing.

I concentrate on the markings over my heart, and call out in my mind. "Spirit animal that is bound to me, whoever you are, please lend me your strength!"

I didn't expect anything to happen because it's never worked before when I tried, but this time things are different. I feel a warmth spread from my tattoo, and a light radiates from my animal marking. The light moves from my chest and floats in front of me before bursting into flames. A large red bird erupts from the flames and screeches into the night.

The fighting pauses as everyone looks at my manifested spirit animal. The bird is covered in deep red feathers that emit their own glow. It has a slender neck and beak, just like my tattoo, and has three distinct gold feathers that stick up off its head. This bird must be a phoenix. It shines brightly in the night, and I see a fire burning deep in its eyes.

"I am Hungary, your spirit animal," a female voice says in my mind. I don't know how, but I recognize it as the voice of the bird in front of me. "I am sent by the Great Mother to be your companion. I am very honored to meet you, Elizabeta."

I look at the magnificent bird in wonder. "Please help us," I plead.

"Don't let the bird attack!" Kirkland shrieks from the forest. His eyes blaze angrily. "Get it! Kill the bird!"

Flying shadows and walking ones alike swarm my phoenix in an attempt to prevent it from helping us, but they're no match for my companion. The phoenix shoots straight up in the air, and shrouds herself in fire. She dives straight down like a blazing arrow and incinerates many of the shadows. The shadows begin to retreat back into the darkness of the forest, forgetting all about us.

"You may have won," Kirkland growls. "But don't...get too confident...I'll be back, and I'll be...even stronger...just you wait." His eyes flicker out, and a quiet settles over our camp.

"That was close," Gilbert says as he lands on the ground. "You really saved us back there Elizabeta."

"It wasn't me," I say proudly. "It was Hungary."

We all look up at the phoenix circling above us in the sky. Her beautiful red and gold tail streaming out behind her like a trail of fire. She slowly descends, and lands on my shoulder.

"Thank you," I tell her. "You saved us."

"It is my duty to protect you," her voice says in mind. "I will come whenever you call." She fades in a burst of flame and smoke.

"Is that your spirit animal Elizabeta?" Kiku asks me.

"Yes," I answer with a big smile.

"I'm so happy for you," he says as he returns my smile. We beam at each other for a few moments.

"What's the big deal?" Gilbert asks confused. "Everyone has a spirit animal."

I shake my head sadly. "Not me. I haven't had one...until now." I smile again as I think of Hungary.

"What's going on? Veeee~" Feliciano asks sleepily. He had slept through the whole thing, and now he's rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"You missed the whole fight, idiot!" Lovino yells at him. Feliciano flinches away from the loud voice.

"It's okay Lovino," I say. I look at Feliciano and smile. "We handled the Walkers and Fliers just fine."

"Walkers? Fliers? Is that what you're calling them?" Ludwig becomes involved in the conversation for the first time.

"Well, I though those names fit. We can't just call them shadows forever. It's not specific enough," I explain. Ludwig nods in agreement.

A silence falls over the group as we reflect on what just happened. My battle high is wearing off, and I can feel my muscles beginning to protest standing.

"I think we should all go to bed," I say. "It's been a long day."

There's murmurs of agreement as people walk to their tents. Gilbert puts the fire out, and our camp is shrouded in darkness. It creeps me out a little, but I tell myself that the shadows are gone.

Lovino walks back to the edge of camp. His spirit animal appears next to him as he walks. It's a dark brown wolf with dark caramel colored eyes like Lovino. "I'll keep first watch," he calls behind his back. "I can't count on any of you to stay awake," I hear him grumble to himself as he sits down.

I'm not sure how I feel about Lovino yet. He seems rude and mean, but I think deep down he really does care.

"Go to bed already idiot!" he yells at me. "I'm not going to carry you if you fall asleep on your feet tomorrow! Sheesh, everyone here is a complete moron except for me."

Okay, maybe he's not as caring as I thought. I slip into my little tent before I get yelled at again. I lay on the side opposite from Kiku, and close my eyes wearily. The last thing I hear before falling asleep is the lone howl of a wolf coming from the edge of camp.


	6. Chapter 6: From Woods to Mountains

The further we press into Bear Territory, the more mountainous the land becomes. The southwest portion of Elarium, where the Bears live, is known for its dense forests and gigantic mountain ranges, and we're experiencing it all.

It's been three days since we got attacked by Kirkland and his shadow forces, and we've made pretty good progress. Ludwig keeps us moving at a fast pace. He's like a drill sergeant or something. Kiku and I can keep up pretty well, so we're usually in the front by Ludwig. Plus Kiku needs to help set our course because he has the maps. Behind us is Lovino because he doesn't want to walk in the front with the "Bear bastard". Feliciano and Gilbert bring up the rear, mostly because the former is unmotivated, and the latter is just plain lazy.

"Hey! Slow down up there!" Gilbert yells from the back.

"No!" I shout back. "You two catch up!"

"We're too tired!" Feliciano calls from behind Gilbert.

"Quit whining and hurry up before I kick you both in the rear!" Lovino shouts. This ends all discussions, and the two slowpokes book it into high gear. They can actually move really fast when they want to.

We stop in a rocky clearing to eat lunch. The further we've gotten the sparser the forest has become, so it gets pretty hot when we can't find any shade. I sit by Ludwig and Kiku in a small patch of shade as I munch on my share of beef jerky.

"So what's it like to be a Bear, Ludwig?" I ask him before chewing some more jerky. The dry meat is hard to chew, so I gnaw on it while I listen to Ludwig.

"Well, we're all rather large in build, so the buildings are usually very big," he says thoughtfully. "We train with battle axes mostly, and sometimes broad swords too. When we're not doing that we're usually doing other strength training or battle strategy."

"Is there anything that doesn't involve training?" I ask. It seems like that's all they do.

Ludwig thinks for quite a long time. I'm afraid he's going to say no, so I switch the subject. "What are the people like?"

"That depends on where they come from. The Bears from the mountains are larger, and they are better warriors but not good at anything agricultural. My father is one of these kinds of Bears," Ludwig says with an amused grin. "The Bears from the forest are not as large, and they excel at strategy more than brutal strength. That's not to say they aren't strong either. My mother is a forest Bear, and she could probably beat my father in an arm wrestle any day." He shudders slightly at the idea.

"So you take after both of your parents quite a bit then," I say. Ludwig smiles slightly, and I assume he sees it in himself too. "What about Gilbert? Who's he like?"

"Brother?" Ludwig repeats with knit eyebrows. "He looks a lot like our mother, but he's as bull headed and obnoxious as our father. He never thinks before acting, and he's always getting in trouble." I don't doubt anything Ludwig just said. "But he's also very brave. He'll fight hard for something he cares about, and he doesn't give up when he sets his mind to something." Ludwig smirks. "That may or may not be a good thing."

I think about what Ludwig just said as I watch Gilbert eat an apple he picked out of the tree he's sitting in. I didn't realize he's the kind of person Ludwig says he is. Although I do remember he was the first one to help me fight when we were attacked by the shadows.

Gilbert's red eyes flick toward me, and our eyes meet for a brief moment. I look away quickly out of embarrassment, but not before I could see the intensity in his gaze. I blush when I hear him chuckle from his perch in the apple tree.

"Are you not feeling well Elizabeta?" Kiku asks. "Your face is quite red."

"I-I'm fine!" I stammer. "I just spent too much time in the sun."

Kiku accepts my answer and goes back to eating the nuts and berries he has bundled in some cloth. The forest had a lot of tasty things growing in it, and we had spent some time gathering food as we walked.

"So, where are we going next?" I ask Kiku, our navigator.

He rummages around in his pack, and pulls out the map of the Bears' territory. Theres a line marking where we've already been, and I notice we've been avoiding a lot of the cities. Ludwig says it's because we don't want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves.

"We're right here," Kiku explains as he points to a spot on the map. "I'm thinking if we keep up this pace, we should arrive in Monteurbem by tonight." He points to a large dot a little ways away from the spot he indicated we are.

"Monteurbem?" I ask curiously.

"One of the largest cities in Bear Territory," Ludwig clarifies. "It's the largest settlement you'll find in the mountains because the Bears that live up there are mostly roaming tribes. Monteurbem is the last civilization we'll see for a while."

"Can we get a place to stay instead of camping out? I ask hopefully. There's only so much sleeping on the ground I can do.

"That is the plan," Kiku tells me as he rolls up the map. "We can also stock up on supplies, but we have to

get there first."

I jump to my feet excitedly. "Alright gang! Let's get moving! I don't know about you, but I definitely want to sleep in a bed tonight!"

I put on my pack before jumping high into the air. At the peak of my arc I unfurl my wings and let them catch the breeze. I haven't flown in a long time, and I've been dying to feel the wind in my long hair.

"Come one everyone! We've got a city to get to!" I yell down to my group. They pack their things away, and one by one, they join me in the air.

"Veeeee~!" Feliciano exclaims as he extends his reddish brown wings. "It's so nice up here!"

"Kesesesesesese! I'll race someone to that tree over there!" Gilbert shouts when he reaches the same altitude as the rest of us.

"You're on!" I shout back, and the two of us take off for the tree.

"Maybe flying wasn't the best idea," I say several hours later as we trudge along a path up a steep slope. The setting sun colors the sky a bright orange, and I squint to keep the light out of my eyes. We had flown for a while, but we got tired quickly from all the effort it takes to carry our gear along with ourselves.

Angels can jump very high and fly for long distances, but that distance depends on many variables. First, Eagles tend to be stronger fliers than the other two clans, but Wolves are the better jumpers. Second, weather conditions, wind speed, and wind direction can also change the distance someone can go at one time. Third, the angel's weight needs to be considered. The heavier the person, the faster they'll fatigue. That means that with all of our extra gear, it's not efficient to leap or to fly at all. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I forgot all about that.

"Ugh, who's idiotic idea was it to fly again?" Lovino asks rather snottily.

I decide it's best to ignore him, and focus on walking. I'm getting short on breath, so most of my effort goes into that and placing one foot in front of the other.

"Look at it this way," Ludwig says to me. "The time we gained flying makes up for the time we're losing walking this slowly."

What he says doesn't make me feel any better, but I appreciate the effort. "Thanks, but I feel bad that we wasted all that energy. I feel especially bad for you and Gilbert because...I know flying isn't really your thing." It's hard to talk and breathe at the same time.

"Don't worry about us Elizabeta," Ludwig says with a tired smile. "We're Bears. We're the strongest of the three clans."

"Yeah...I guess you're right," I say and return his smile. I don't hear what he says next because I pass out from fatigue.

The first thing I notice when my consciousness starts returning is that the whole world seems to be rocking up and down. I slowly open my tired eyes to find out what's going on. I look up and see the side of Gilbert's face. He's carrying me piggyback between his wings.

"Gilbert?" I ask. I'm really confused now. "What's going on?"

"You passed out stupid," he replies.

"Well yeah," I retort. "I meant, why are you carrying me?"

"We couldn't just leave you back there, and we couldn't stop and wait for you to wake up if we want to get to Monteurbem by tonight."

"Oh, that's right," I say when I remember our plan. It's twilight now, so I must have been out for maybe an hour. "I can walk now. You can put me down."

"Nah, don't worry about it," Gilbert tells me with a grin. He gives me a sideways glance. "The awesome me can handle carrying you for a while. Besides, we're almost there, and Lovino carried you for a while too."

"Really?" I ask in shock. That's funny because he said he wouldn't carry me the other day.

"Yeah, and Ludwig's been carrying our bags."

I look for the tall Bear, and I spot him a little ways ahead of us carrying three packs. "Oh no," I say guiltily. "Put me down so I can carry my own bag."

"I said don't worry about it," Gilbert says forcefully. His tone leaves no room to argue. "You're in no condition to be walking, and West could carry more and still be fine."

I shift slightly and tighten my hold around Gilbert's neck. Ludwig had been right about his older brother having a one track mind. "Maybe I should've let you win that race. Then I wouldn't have been so tired."

"You didn't win that race, I did!"

"No, I'm pretty sure I did."

"In your dreams! I beat you by a mile," Gilbert insists.

I let out a small laugh, which makes Gilbert chuckle too. "Fine, I'll let you win this time."

"I told you, I really did-"

Gilbert's cut off when he almost runs into Lovino.

"Watch it!" the Wolf says in an irritated voice. "I knew you Bears were idiots but I didn't know you we're klutzes too."

I feel Gilbert tense up, but he doesn't say anything. His wings ruffle in annoyance, and a few soft feathers brush my face. I breathe in the musky scent of the deep woods that clings to Gilbert as his wings disturb the air in front of me. His smell is comforting yet intoxicating at the same time.

"Now is not the time to argue," Kiku says in his calm voice. "We've made it to Monteurbem."

* * *

Latin Meanings for Names:

Monteurbem: formed using monte urbem (mountain city)


	7. Chapter 7: Confessions in the Dark

I struggle to see the city from over Gilbert's shoulder, so I have him put me down. I'm met with one of the most magnificent views I've ever seen. A gigantic city sprawls between two large mountain peaks and creates the illusion that the city is growing out if the earth itself. Even though the sun has already set, there is still a glow that I realize is coming from the light in the buildings.

"Wow," I breathe. "That's amazing."

"Humph," Lovino snorts. "I've seen better."

"Just shut it for once will ya?" Gilbert says threateningly. "It's been a long day, so let's just find a place to crash, and West and I can give you a tour tomorrow."

"You've been here before?" I ask the two Bear brothers.

"Quite a bit," Ludwig answers as we begin our decent into Monteurbem. "We would always stop here before taking a trip into the mountains for training." There's that word again. I'm starting to think maybe that's all Bears think about.

We reach the bottom of the steep slope that leads into the city, and I look around at the oddly large buildings. Ludwig wasn't kidding about that. A few people give us with odd looks, but we're mostly ignored. I grin excitedly as Ludwig and Gilbert discuss where we should go.

"We could stay with some cousins of father's," Ludwig suggests.

"Nah, they're way too annoying. I get a headache just thinking about them," Gilbert replies with a wince. "Let's just find an inn or a tavern that's cheap."

"Where do you suggest then? We have to find a place to accommodate all six of us." Ludwig raises a quizzical eyebrow at his older brother.

"The Dancing Bear is nearby," the albino suggests. "Or we could check out that one place with the giant tree we stayed at a few years back."

"You mean The Maple Manor?"

"Yeah! That place was pretty awesome," Gilbert says with a big grin.

"Alright if you've picked a place then let's go because I'm going to pass out again if I don't get in a bed soon," I tell the two.

We follow the Bears through the maze like city to a building with a wide, red roof. The thing that makes it stand out most is not the roof, but the fact that it's been built in the shade of a tall maple tree. I swear I've never seen one so big before. It puts the abnormally large buildings around it to shame.

"That tree is gigantic!" I exclaim.

"They think it's one of the first trees that ever started growing around here," Gilbert tells me. "That's pretty awesome when you think about how few trees there are up here to begin with."

I marvel at the tree for a while longer before following the group inside the inn. The interior is furnished with wooden furniture that contrasts the stone used in the building itself. There's a fire pit in the middle of the room that fights off the chill of the evening. Ludwig approaches the lady behind the counter while the rest of us look around.

"I never knew wooden benches could be so comfortable," Feliciano sighs contently as he sits down. Lovino sits next to him with folded arms, but he doesn't say anything.

"How lovely," Kiku comments as he admires a painting on the wall. It's an image of the huge tree in the fall. The tree's leaves have turned red and match the roof of the inn.

"They have enough room for us, but it's going to be a bit crowded," Ludwig announces when he's done at the counter. He holds up two keys, and there's only one thing that can mean. "It's salmon season, so it's been very busy here, and I could only get two rooms."

"I don't care as long as I don't have to be in the same room as you stupid Bears," Lovino pipes up from the couch.

"Well it's three to a room," I say. "If Lovino and Feliciano go in one room, and Ludwig and Gilbert go in another, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Lovino looks at me with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Then it's settled," I say with a tired smile.

A while later, I'm sitting on one of the two beds in the Vargas's room waiting for Feliciano to get back with food for us to eat. I told Kiku he should go with the Beilschmidts because he and Ludwig get along so well. Unfortunately, that means I'm stuck with Mr. Crabby Pants.

Lovino has been moping the entire time since we've gotten our rooms, and it's really starting to bother me. I watch him mumble things to himself as he paces around the room.

"Seriously Lovino, just settle down," I tell him for the third time.

"Leave me alone," he grumbles. At least I got a response this time.

"Food's here!" Feliciano announces happily as he walks through the door. "Ludwig's sure strict about how much we can eat. He won't let me carry any of the bags with food in it."

"Well he did catch you snacking out of one once, remember?" I ask him with a smile.

"It's not my fault that I get hungry," he replies with a frown. He must be thinking about the scolding Ludwig gave him. "I didn't even eat that much."

I laugh and pat the spot next to me on the bed. Feliciano immediately smiles and sits down next to me. He places the apples, jerky, and traveling biscuits he has bundled in a cloth down on the bed.

"Come get some food Lovino," I call to him as I munch on a biscuit. They're really dry, but they fill me up nicely.

Lovino stops pacing long enough to grab an apple and some jerky, and then continues his back and forth pacing.

"Can you stop that and just eat already?" I ask him in an exasperated tone.

He stops walking with his back toward the two of us on the bed. "I'm going outside," he says without turning around. He walks out of the room and slams the door.

"What's his problem," I murmur under my breath as I take another bite of my biscuit.

"Brother doesn't like it here," Feliciano says with an unhappy expression. "He doesn't like being by so many Bears."

"So I've noticed." I take a long drink of water after finishing my dry biscuit. "What's the big deal?"

Feliciano looks down sadly. "It's probably better if he tells you. He'll get mad if he finds out I said anything."

"Okay," I reply as I pick up an apple. "Do you dislike the Bears too Feliciano?"

"No, not the way Lovi does," he says. He thinks about what he said and shakes his head. "What I really mean is that I don't dislike them at all. They're kinda scary, but they're not bad."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I say with a reassuring smile. I take a bite of my apple and chew thoughtfully. What could Lovino hold against the Bears?

"It was hard at first, but I'm not angry or sad about it anymore," Feliciano tells me with a small smile. "I wish Lovi could get over it too." His smile fades as quickly as it came.

"I'm sure he will Feliciano." I actually have no idea, but I don't want to upset him more than he already is.

"You think so?" he asks. He perks up at the idea.

"Yeah, I do," I tell him with a nod.

Feliciano accepts my answer with a big smile, but it's quickly replaced by a huge yawn. "Time for bed, veee~!"

I also yawn at seeing him yawn. "I guess so." I get up off the bed and stretch while the energetic Wolf puts away what remains of our dinner. I give my sore wings a good stretch too. "Goodnight Feliciano," I say as I blow out one of the candles lighting our room.

"Goodnight Elizabeta." I hear the rustling of blankets as he gets into bed. "Elizabeta?"

"Yes?"

"Can you come here?" he asks in a quiet voice. I blow out the other candle, and carefully make my way to his bedside in the dark.

"What is it Feliciano?"

"Can you just stay here until I fall asleep?" he asks me. "I don't like being alone."

"Sure," I tell him with a smile. He smiles back as I sit on the floor next to his bed. He's laying on his side since it's hard for an angel to sleep on his or her back because of the wings, and I feel his warm hand wrap around mine. I give it a light squeeze.

"Elizabeta?"

"Yeah?"

"You can call me Feli," he whispers. "I like that better than Feliciano, but brother won't call me that."

"Okay Feli, but that means you have to call me Liza. Deal?"

"Deal," he agrees happily.

"Goodnight Feli."

"Goodnight Liza...veeeeee~"

I must have fallen asleep right there on the floor because I'm startled awake by the sound of the door opening. I look up to see Lovino silhouetted against the light from the hall. He closes the door, which shrouds the room in darkness once again.

"Lovino?"

Lovino lets out a string of profanities. "Jeez woman! You scared me! What are you doing hiding behind Feliciano's bed?"

"I must have fallen asleep back there," I explain in a whisper. I walk around the bed Feli is sleeping in, and stop a few feet away from the older twin. "Where have you been?"

"None of your business." He walks past me and sits on the empty bed. I watch him start to untie his boots before I try talking to him again.

"Why don't you like the Bears?"

Lovino tenses, but he continues to undo the laces on his boots. "What makes you think I don't like those bastards?" he mumbles.

"Besides the obvious?" I ask sarcastically.

"Look, I don't need any of your crap," Lovino says threateningly. "I'm having a bad enough time as it is." He slips one of his boots off and throws it aside before getting to work on the other one. I watch him silently for a while until I can't take it anymore.

"Feli told me," I blurt out.

This causes Lovino to freeze. "That stupid son of a-" He doesn't finish his sentence, but instead throws his other boot aside. It lands against the wall with a loud thunk, and I look over at Feli in fear that he would wake up. He doesn't. "What did he tell you?"

"Not much actually," I admit sheepishly. "He said I should ask you."

Lovino lets out a relieved laugh. "So he can keep his mouth shut." He runs his hand through his dark hair, and gives his curl a light tug.

"So why do you hate Bears so much?" I press.

He gives me a sideways glance before untucking his shirt. "Why should I tell you?" He lifts his shirt off up over his head and slides his dark, speckled wings through the slits in the back. "You wouldn't understand," he adds bitterly.

I ignore the fact that Lovino is now shirtless, and sit down on the bed next to him. I look him dead in the eyes and begin to talk. "I have no memories of my parents, and I've been alone for as long as I can remember until I met Kiku. I've been passed around from family to family, city to city, like an unwanted dog my entire life until I was old enough to live on my own. And unlike the rest of you, I couldn't summon a spirit animal to keep me company until a few days ago. I've been asked to save everything and everyone in the land of Elarium, yet I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm scared out of my mind. So whatever your problem is, I think I'll be able to understand." I surprise even myself with how much I've just shared with the moody Wolf.

Lovino stares at me with wide eyes, then looks away. He remains silent for a full minute before he begins to speak. "We lost our parents...a long time ago," he says in a husky voice. "It's been the two of us ever since."

I open my mouth to say something, but I decide it's better to stay silent. Instead I place a comforting hand on his bare arm. The contact makes him tense up.

"It was supposed to be just a routine border patrol," Lovino continues. His voice is distant as if he's somewhere else, lost in his memories. "There had been reports of people seeing large groups of Bears roaming suspiciously close to the southwest border of Wolf Territory, so my parents had volunteered to go on the patrol."

He pauses when his shoulders start to shake, and he swipes his hand hastily across his eyes. I can feel a great deal of pain in what he's saying, and I'm guessing he's been keeping all of this in for a while.

"They were outnumbered, and their backup didn't come fast enough. There hadn't been a border skirmish in so long that we didn't think it would come to violence...we didn't think it would end like the way it did." Lovino clutches his shirt tightly and swipes at his eyes again. "We never saw them after that, and it's all those bastard Bears' fault!"

All the energy seems to leave his body, and he slumps forward with his head in his hands. A single, silent tear slips out of his eye and slides down his cheek. I reach out to gently wipe it away, and he doesn't resist.

"I'm so sorry Lovino," I whisper with as much empathy as I can. My heart really does ache for the two Wolf twins. They've been through so much, yet they keep pushing on.

"Don't worry about me," he says gruffly as he stands up. He tosses his shirt to the side like his boots. "It's him you have to look out for."

I watch him stand next to Feli's bed in the moonlight and place a hand gently on his twin's head. This is a side of Lovino I've never seen before. "You've taken good care of him, haven't you?"

He walks away from his brother without disturbing him and sighs. "Someone has to. He wouldn't last by himself out there, he's too carefree." Lovino grabs his and Feli's cloaks, and lays one on the floor next to the door.

"What are you doing?" I ask and stand up.

"Going to sleep. What does it look like?" He lays on top of the cloak, and uses the other as a blanket. "Go to bed yourself."

I look to him, and then to the bed he gave up for me. I've never had anyone other than Kiku show me as much kindness as Lovino and Feli have in the short time I've spent with them tonight, even if Lovino is rude about it. My heart swells with gratitude, and something that must be joy. I pull one of the blankets off my bed and drape it over Lovino. He doesn't react, and I slip into the empty bed as quietly as I can.

"Goodnight Lovino," I say softly.

"Go to sleep already," he mumbles in a tired, hardly audible voice. I'm about to drift off when I hear a very quiet, yet quite distinct, "Goodnight Elizabeta." I fall asleep with a smile on my face.


	8. Chapter 8: Thief

I'm not the only one who doesn't want to get up in the morning, and so we decide it would be beneficial to take a day off.

"Strictly for recuperative reasons," Ludwig insists, but we all know it's a day to have fun.

We eat a hot breakfast at a small tavern in the middle of the city before making plans for the day. I watch Gilbert and Feli in amusement as they compete to see who can pack away the most porridge. Feli finishes his fifth bowl, then grabs Gilbert's half eaten one to finish that too.

"I think Feli wins," I announce with a laugh. He smiles widely before spooning more creamy porridge into his mouth.

"How can you eat so much?" Gilbert groans. "You're so freaking scrawny!" He places his head down on the table with another groan. I hate to think about the stomachache he's going to have later.

"You two are lucky we brought a lot of money with us," Ludwig says as he eyes up the stack of empty bowls on our table.

"Oh lighten up Ludwig," I say with a smile. I give him a playful punch to the shoulder. "It's our day off, remember?"

"Let him worry," Gilbert says with a wave of his hand. His voice is somewhat muffled from his head still on the table. "West enjoys fussing over things, so that's how he's going to have fun today."

"T-that's not true!" the blonde Bear says in a flustered voice. Kiku and I laugh at his obvious embarrassment.

Lovino, who has been silent the whole time, gets up and starts to walk away. He only pauses long enough to say, "I'm going to go do stuff." We watch him walk out of the tavern without another word.

Feli lets out a small sigh. "I was hoping Lovi and I could go look at vendor stalls today."

"I'll go with you Feli," I tell him softly. I thought maybe Lovino would act a little better after our talk last night, but I guess not.

"I'm going to be looking for supplies with Ludwig," Kiku informs me. "I hope that'll be alright."

"That works out great actually," I reply. "Now I won't feel so bad for leaving you alone."

"Hey! What about me?" Gilbert asks in a loud voice. The four of us look at each other uncomfortably. He looks up when he notices our hesitation to answer, and gets up from the table. "Fine. The awesome me doesn't need anyone else to have a good time anyway!"

He saunters away from the rest of us with an indignant air about him. The door to the tavern slams behind him as he goes off to who knows where.

"Well that could've gone better," I murmur to myself. "We might as well get going too, right Feli?"

"Right!" he agrees happily. We say goodbye to our other two companions and exit the tavern as well.

The city is a lot more lively during the day than at night when we first arrived. People mill about going from shop to shop, and some people try to drive horse drawn carts through the crowds with difficulty. The two of us follow the crowd to a large open market full of vendors selling things from flowers to pottery. Feli hops around excitedly as he tries to decide where to go first.

"Where should we start Liza? Let's go look at boots! No, food! Veeee~! They have flowers over there! Oh, there are some flags! Aren't they colorful? Let's get some new clothes!"

"Woah, settle down," I say as I try to contain his excitement. "One thing at a time Feli."

He finally decides on looking at flowers first, which turned out to be really nice, until he got scared by some bees. We quickly move on to the next stall, which has a wide variety of sweets and pastries. Feli won't leave until I buy us both some glazed sweet buns, since I'm the one carrying the money. Eating seems to have distracted him from his excitement because he stops jumping around. I nearly drop my bun when he comes to a sudden stop in front of me, and I almost run into him.

"What's the hold up?" I shout over the noise of the crowd. I get no response from the Wolf, so I walk in front of him to see what's going on.

"Look at that," he instructs me with a pointed finger.

I look in the direction he's indicating, and see what has him so transfixed. A small vendor's stall has an assortment of charms, bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, and other knick knacks dangling all over it. Feli hops over to the stall and pulls something off a hook. I'm surprised he even noticed the particular item he's now holding in his hand, with all the other flashy things being sold.

He hands me the small charm, and I smile as I understand why it drew his attention. It's a small wooden wolf that's been carved in mid leap. It hangs from a leather strap that has a couple light colored wooden beads hung on it as well. The beads contrast with the dark wood the wolf has been carved from, and I can't help but think of Lovino when I look at it.

"You're going to get it for him, aren't you?"

Feli nods happily. "It looks just like Romano," he says with a grin. I assume Romano is Lovino's spirit wolf that I saw a while ago.

"That's a nice choice you've made there," a large, hairy man says from behind the stall. He's one of those sleazy looking guys that always has the sharp stench of alcohol clinging to him. "Got that in a trade from some Wolves on the southeastern border. Won't find anything else like that around here."

"How much?" I ask.

"It won't be cheap," the man says shrewdly. He gives his hairy chest a scratch. "I'll give it to you for two Bearpaws and three Wolffangs."

His demand is absolutely ridiculous. Bearpaws are gold coins stamped with a bear paw design, and are worth the most in Elarium. One Bearpaw is worth four Wolffangs, which are silver coins stamped with a wolf tooth design. The coins worth the least are Eagleclaws, which are bronze, and two of those are the same as one Wolffang. The fact that he's asking for even one Bearpaw is a fraud.

"We'll give you half of that," I say tactfully.

"A Bearpaw and one Eagleclaw," the man haggles back.

"One Bearpaw."

"Three Wolffangs and a Eagleclaw," he growls shrewdly. "That's my final offer."

I can tell this won't get far with honest bargaining, so I lean in real close and lower my voice. "I'll give you two Wolffangs, and that's it. I suggest you take it, or I'll be letting some people know about your black market dealings and secret underground smuggling."

The large Bear freezes and goes pale. He accepts my two silver coins, and quickly shoos us away from his stall with some nervous glances. I walk away triumphantly, and Feli follows on my heels.

"How did you know about him, Liza?" he asks in awe.

I hand him the charm, which he pockets carefully. "I didn't," I admit with a sheepish grin. "I just assumed that a shady fella like him has some things he wants kept secrets."

"You're amazing!" the reddish haired Wolf exclaims happily. "Thank you so much!"

I laugh at his enthusiasm, but I don't get a chance to respond because I feel a tugging on my pack. I turn around in time to see a scrawny kid running off with something slender and wooden in his hands.

My spear.

"He's got my spear!" I shout and take off after him.

Feliciano and I desperately chase after the boy, but it's impossible to keep up with him in the crowd. As soon as I get a chance, I whip open my golden wings, that I've tried to keep out of view, and take off into the sky. It's easier to see from up here, but I still can't spot the kid who grabbed my spear. Panic wells up in my chest when I realize he's disappeared.

"Oh no...oh no oh no oh no," I moan in frustration. Tears sting at my eyes when I think about how badly I've failed. It'll be impossible to find my spear in a city of this size. "What do I do Feli?"

I'm met with a disturbing silence.

I maneuver myself in the air to look in every direction around me, but Feli is nowhere to be seen. My heart stops when I realize Feli is gone now too. I've lost two very important things almost simultaneously.

"I have to find the others," I say to the painfully empty air. "Lovino..." I whisper when I remember the missing Wolf's brother. I need to find him first.

I shoot off in a random direction in search of the older twin. Buildings fly past me as I duck and weave through the city. Fear and adrenaline push me to go as fast as I can, and tears begin to streak down my face. They blur my vision so much that I almost don't spot the white splotch on the street below that can only be one person. I drop out of the sky in front of Gilbert, and stumble toward him. My legs are shaking too badly for me to stand well.

"Elizabeta?" Gilbert shouts in surprise. "What are you doing falling out of the sky? And...are you crying?" The albino Bear's voice softens when he sees my tear stained face.

"I-I lost the s-spear...a-and I lost F-Feli t-too," I manage to sob out. I bring my hands up to my eyes as more tears begin to fall. "I don't k-know what to do G-Gilb-b-bert."

Gilbert awkwardly, but gently, wraps his arms around my shaking frame. "Hey, don't cry," he murmurs into my light brown hair. "C'mon now, it's going to be fine. You don't have to cry."

I clutch the front of his shirt with shaking hands. If I wasn't so upset, I probably would be blushing like crazy. "What do we do?"

"Let's find the others. I'm sure West and the others can help us." I look up at Gilbert, and he gives me a reassuring smile. "It's going to be fine, okay?" I nod, and he gently wipes the tear streaks from my face. His hand lingers on my cheek for a moment before he takes a step back. "Let's go."

We unfurl our wings and jump into the air. Gilbert leads me to the an area of Monteurbem that's known for high quality goods, and it doesn't take him long to find his brother and Kiku. I watch as he explains the situation to the shocked pair, but I don't interfere. An overwhelming sense of guilt washes over me as Gilbert motions me over.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper. I keep my head bowed because I can't stand to look any of them in the eyes.

"Don't blame yourself Elizabeta," Ludwig tells me. "Our highest priority is finding Feliciano and the spear."

Kiku reaches out and takes my hand. "We will find them Elizabeta."

"I'll stick with Elizabeta," Gilbert says to the other two. "You two stick together and look on this side of the city."

Kiku and Ludwig unfold their wings and take to the sky. We watch them go before jumping into the air ourselves. Gilbert leads the way back to the market area of town, and we circle around looking for Feli. My heart skips a beat when I see a familiar curl bobbing through the crowd in a narrow street. Without warning I take off toward the Wolf, and Gilbert follows.

"Feli!" I shout as I hit the ground running. "Feli! Are you okay?"

Feli turns around, except it's not Feli. "Who are you calling that ridiculous name? Can't you tell me apart from my brother?" I stop running at the sound of Lovino's voice. "What do you want? And why's that stupid Bear bastard here?"

"L-Lovino?" I ask in surprise. So it wasn't Feli after all.

"Duh, are you stupid or something?" he says in annoyance. "Jeez."

"Hey man, take it easy," Gilbert says. He takes a step between me and the irritated Wolf. "There's been a bit of a-"

"Save it for someone who cares," Lovino interrupts with a snort.

"Listen we're trying to tell you something important!" Gilbert shouts in frustration.

Lovino ignores him and turns away, but I can't take any more of his crap. "Feliciano's missing!"

"W-what?" The dark haired twin turns to face me with large eyes. "What...did you say?"

"Feli's missing," I repeat in a quieter voice. "My spear got stolen, and then he disappeared when we tried to look for it...I'm...I'm so sorry."

"You...you lost my brother?" Lovino shouts in a rage. He pushes Gilbert out of the way and grabs the collar of my shirt threateningly. "You better be joking if you know what's good for you."

I don't fight Lovino as he shoves me up against a wall. I deserve his anger and his hatred. I lost the only family he had left. Tears collect in my eyes as I watch Lovino struggle with his loss.

"That's enough!" Gilbert growls, and shoves Lovino away from me, which causes the Wolf to fall to the ground. "Get a grip man! We need to go look for your brother, not sit around pointing fingers and feeling bad for ourselves."

"What would you know about family?" Lovino snarls from the cobblestone street. "You don't know what it's like!"

Gilbert's face becomes serious at Lovino's words. "I'm an older brother too, you know. Sometimes when we were little, and when pops wasn't home, Ludwig and I would play in the woods together when we weren't supposed to." Gilbert pauses before continuing. "One day, Ludwig disappeared. When I finally found him, he was scraped up and crying his little eyes out. And I...I thought I had failed as a brother." The corner of the albino's lips twitch up into a small smile. "But little West was so happy to see me that I couldn't help but feel like he didn't think I failed him at all."

I look at the Bear in surprise. I would've never guessed he had been through anything like that. Ludwig did mention Gilbert has a caring side though, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Gilbert offers Lovino a helping hand off the ground, which surprisingly, he accepts. There seems to be a silent truce of understanding and necessity between the two now that Feli is what's at stake. I wipe away my tears, and approach the two with a new determination.

"Let's find him."

We've flown over the city for hours looking for the lost twin, but there's still no sign of him as the sun begins to sink below the horizon. I flap my wings wearily as I continue to look. Giving up is not an option. A building with a flat roof catches my eye, and I land clumsily on the wide surface. I pause to catch my breath before continuing on my search. I can see other winged figures combing the area off in the distance, and I assume it's Ludwig, Kiku, and Lovino.

A grunt comes from behind me as Gilbert also lands on the roof. I hear his footsteps approach me, but I don't turn around.

"No luck," he says in a serious voice, and I hang my head in shame.

"This is all my fault," I murmur.

"Hey, you can't get so down on yourself," Gilbert says reassuringly. "It's not your fault. We'll find him."

I'm about to say something in response when a slow moving figure catches my eye. I take a few steps toward the edge of the roof for a better look.

"What do you see in that alley?" I ask Gilbert. He must sense the urgency in my voice because he quickly joins me. I point to the alley with the figure staggering through it. Just as I do, the person walks through a fading patch of light, and I see a flash of red brown hair.

Gilbert narrows his eyes as he looks down the alley. "It...it looks like..."

"Feli."

I jump straight off the roof, and unfurl my wings just before hitting the ground. The wind pulls at my clothes and hair, but I don't slow down. I can vaguely hear Gilbert shouting from the roof, but it becomes fainter and fainter as I get further away from him. It only takes me a moment to relocate the alley, and I drop to the ground on all fours.

"Feli!" I shout as I straighten up. "Feli! Is that you?" I run toward the person slumped over in a tall building's shadow.

"E-Eliza...beta?"

"Feli!" I drop to my knees next to him and give him a big hug. "I'm so sorry Feli. I'm so sorry I lost you." Hot tears roll down my face as I sob into his shoulder.

"Don't cry, Liza," the battered Wolf says in a weak voice. "I'm okay."

I pull away from him and wipe away my tears before looking him over. He's covered in all sorts of cuts and bruises. His shirt is torn in several places and covered in dried blood, but luckily there's too much there to be all his. I stare in horror at the state Feliciano's in, and feel guilt stab my heart once more.

"What happened to you?"

"I found them, but they wouldn't give it back without a fight," he explains with a small laugh. "You should see the other guys."

"Found who? Get what back?" I ask him confused. Maybe he got hit once too many times in the head.

"This," Feli says as he pulls out my spear. My eyes widen at the sight of the ancient weapon. I had forgotten all about it. "I followed the little boy, and he led me to a whole group of thieves. They wouldn't give it back without a fight, but I won!" he tells me excitedly. "I bet Lovi would be proud."

"I think so too," I say in a quiet voice. Feli's kindness and concern for others, and not himself, makes my voice tremble as tears form around my eyes again. I take the spear from the smiling Wolf with shaking hands.

"Feliciano!" Lovino's voice echoes around the small alley. The voice's owner drops from the sky, and pushes me out of the way. "Where have you been, idiot?"

"Lovino," Feli says with a smile. "I have something for you." He pulls out the small wolf charm we had purchased before he disappeared. I can't believe he managed to hold onto it through all the insanity that had taken place.

The anger leaves Lovino's face when he sees the item meant for him, and he drops to his knees next to his brother. "Y-you stupid idiot...why don't you ever think about yourself," he says in a trembling voice. "Y-you scared me sick."

His brother just grins and pats him on the head. "Veeee~. It's Because you're always looking our for me. Someone has to look out for you too, Lovi." Feli smiles fondly at his brother, and then at me. "Now that I'm not lost, we're a family again."

I feel my heart clench at his words. Our little group is like a family, I realize. We may be extremely dysfunctional, and we may have been broken today, but we're a family. Something I've never had before.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I turn to see Gilbert crouched next to me. "C'mon. Let's get going." He helps me to my feet.

Ludwig and Kiku have also arrived, and have been watching from a distance. The four of us walk to the end of the alley to give the two brothers some space. They've been through a traumatic day.

"So much for our day off," I say with a sigh. I fasten my spear back in its place on my pack, this time a little tighter than before. "Today ended up being more work than a day on the road, but that's mostly my fault."

"What did I say about blaming yourself, Lizzie?" Gilbert says as he wags a finger in my face. "No moping, okay? It's unawesome."

I raise my eyebrow quizzically at the white haired Bear. "Who said you could call me Lizzie?"

"I heard Feliciano call you Liza, but I think Lizzie fits you better," he explains with a grin.

"But you don't get to call me that," I say stubbornly with my hands on my hips.

"I can do what I want," Gilbert replies with a smirk.

"Fine!" I exclaim. "Then I get to call you Gil."

The smirk quickly disappears from Gilbert's face when he realizes what I'm doing. "No fair! That's not as awesome as Gilbert!"

"I can do what I want," I say smugly and cross my arms. Gil sighs in defeat.

Ludwig and Kiku laugh as Gilbert and I argue back and forth some more. Feli joins in the laughing when he and Lovino walk out of the alley. In the end, Gilbert and Lovino are the only ones not amused by the bickering. Oh yes, we're a family alright.


	9. Chapter 9: Feelings

Monteurbem is far behind us after four days of walking. It's slow going, since the terrain is becoming steeper and rockier, but we press on nonetheless.

Feliciano is also steadily recovering, much to my relief. He wasn't in the worst shape after his run in with the thieves, but some of the bruises looked quite painful. The worst of the bruises have faded to faint purple or yellow splotches. The only thing that doesn't look promising is a cut on his left arm that won't seem to heal right.

"Really, Liza, it's okay," he says when I ask him about it for the umpteenth time.

I always ask him how he feels when we stop to rest, which we're currently doing in the shade of a scraggly little pine tree. Trees are a rare sight in the mountains, so we take advantage of them when we can. I do my best not to fuss over Feli as we rest, but it's difficult not to when I feel so responsible for what happened. Gilbert must have a sixth sense for these kinds of things because he sits down next to me and grabs my shoulders.

"Stop worrying," he tells me in a firm voice. "It's not going to help, so just calm down."

I become mesmerized by the calm behind his deep red eyes, and little by little, I can feel the tension leave my body.

"How do you do that?" I ask curiously.

Gilbert takes his hands off my shoulders and laughs. "When you live with a worrywart like West for so long, you start to figure out how to handle someone that stresses too much. This one time-"

"Brother! Are you telling stories about me again?" Ludwig shouts. He stands up from where he was sitting between Kiku and Feli, and walks over to his brother. "You should know better than to talk about someone behind their back."

"It's not behind your back," Gil says with a grin. "You're sitting right over there."

"That doesn't matter!" Ludwig scolds. "Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you?"

The older brother strokes his face in a contemplating manor. "You could salute my awesomeness more often," Gilbert suggests.

Ludwig closes his eyes in frustration, and takes several deep breaths. I guess he must have developed a few tricks of his own on how to handle someone as annoying as Gil. The blonde Bear opens his eyes and walks away without another word.

"Kesesese," Gil laughs. "Messing around with West is another technique I've used over the years."

I decide that's not the best way to handle it from the waves of irritation coming from the tall blonde Bear. He twitches his speckled yellowish wings occasionally while casting disdainful looks at his brother.

"I don't think you should've said those things to Ludwig. He doesn't look happy," I tell Gil.

"He'll be fine!" the albino insists. "I tease him all the time."

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about," I murmur to myself, but Gilbert's not listening.

Not long after my conversation with Gilbert, we get moving again toward the Bear Temple. We walk until the sun sets, and then set up camp. Luckily, there's enough twigs and dried up plants around to start a small fire. Dinner's eaten in a tired silence before most of us go to bed. Ludwig is on first watch tonight, so I carefully make my way into the small tent I share with Kiku. He's already laying down, but I can tell he's not sleeping.

"Kiku," I whisper in the dark. "Is everything alright with Ludwig?"

"I believe so," he answers. "Is there any reason he shouldn't be?"

"I don't know. He just seems kind of upset lately."

"Well, now that you mention it, he has been a little touchy lately." Kiku rolls over to look at me. "Why? Do you know something?"

"Not quite," I admit. "I just have a hunch, that's all."

"I see."

Kiku doesn't press me for any more details, so I decide to change the subject. "You, Ludwig, and Feli all seem to get along very well."

"Yes, they're very nice," the dark haired Eagle says with a faint smile. "Ludwig is very smart, and Feliciano is very kind."

"I've noticed," I say, and smile back at Kiku. "I'm glad you're friends."

"N-not that we're not still friends," he replies quickly. "You are still my closest friend."

"Same here. Don't worry about me. I'm glad you've made some new friends."

"You seem to spend a lot of time with Feliciano and Ludwig's brothers," Kiku comments. "Are you friends?"

I think about his question for a while. It's true that I talk to them quite a bit, but they're both hard to read. I couldn't say for sure whether we really are friends or not.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "But I do know one thing for sure, our little group is a family now."

Kiku nods in understanding. He's probably the only one who understand the significance of a family to me. He's been my only family for a long time. I hold my hand out with only my pinky extended, and Kiku interlocks his pinky with mine. This is something we've done ever since we first met.

"Goodnight Kiku."

"Goodnight Elizabeta."

I don't recall ever waking up, but I suddenly find myself on the side of the tallest mountain I've ever seen, which is saying something because I've seen a lot of mountains lately. A path winds it's way out of sight around a bend, and I find myself walking down it without telling my feet to do so. The path widens as I continue to walk around the corner, and as soon as I clear the bend, I see a large stone structure in front of me.

The building has been built right into the mountain itself, as if it had been carved out of the side of the cliff face. I stop walking at the base of the large stone stairs leading to the entrance of the gigantic building. I look around at the large stone columns that line the opening to the inside, and I notice a glowing, wingless figure walking down the stairs toward me.

The figure is definitely feminine with thick, wavy hair cascading past her shoulders to her waist. Her dark hair matches the dark bear fur she wears like a cape around her shoulders, and the head of the bear is pulled up over her head like a hood. The figure's dark eyes peer out at me from behind the bear hood's snout. It's like she's reading into my very soul.

"Welcome to my home," the beautiful woman says as she gestures to the land around her. Her mouth doesn't move, but I can hear a loud, distinct voice.

"Who are you?" I ask. I have the odd feeling that I should recognize her.

"Thank you for taking care of my children," she says without answering my question. "There is much I have to tell them."

"But I don't know who you are, or where I am," I tell her. "What do you want? What am I supposed to do?" The bright figure doesn't answer. She smiles at me before fading away.

"That was Urmatri, the Bear Mother."

I look to the source of the voice, and see the Great Mother standing beside me. Unlike the last time I saw her, she has physical substance, and is not a smoky, ghostlike being. Her hair is a bright gold color, similar to the color of her wings. She has a glow about her like the other woman, which makes her deep purple eyes sparkle kindly.

"The Bear Mother? You mean the goddess?" I ask in surprise.

"Yes," the Great Mother replies with a nod of her head. "She is waiting to bless her children."

"Her children...so Gilbert and Ludwig?" I ask. "Well, where do we have to go to find her?"

Matrisus gives me a knowing smile. The kind a parent gives to a child that just asked a silly question. "Right here. This is the Bear Temple."

The words the Great Mother spoke still linger in my mind when my eyes fly open. I quickly take in my surroundings, and realize I'm still in my tent with Kiku, except Kiku is gone. I panic for a moment, but then realize it must be morning because of the light pouring in from the fluttering tent flap. I let my body relax and wake up properly while contemplating what had happened to me. I've never had such a vivid dream before in my life.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps approaching my tent. The shadow of two figures falls over my tent as they creep closer.

"Are you sure she's still asleep?" A voice asks. I recognize it as Feli's

"Positive," the other figure replies. This one is Gilbert, and I don't like the sound of mischief laced in his voice. "Kesesese. She'll never see this coming."

"See what coming?" I yell. There's a sound of someone, I assume Feli, yelping in surprise, and a loud crash as something hits the ground.

"Abort! Abort!" Gilbert yells as the two run away.

I crawl out of my tent to see the two retreating figures of a soaked Gilbert and Feli, and the bucket they must have dropped. I had startled whoever was holding the bucket enough to make them spill its contents all over themselves. I wonder where they got the water though. We haven't seen any kind of stream in a while.

Our camp is fairly quiet now that the two pranksters have run off. I walk over to Ludwig and Kiku to find out what the plan for today is.

"Morning!" I call cheerfully.

"Good morning," Ludwig says tersely.

"Good morning Elizabeta. We're sorry about that. We tried to stop them," Kiku says apologetically.

"It's okay. I'm just worried about their next victim," I say as I see the hooligans creep up to the tent Lovino is still sleeping in.

They've filled another bucket, and Gilbert holds the tent open for Feli to douse his brother. Loud profanity fills the air when Lovino is woken up by the pail of water. He tears out of his tent with a look that could kill.

"We're are they?" he demands. "I'm going to wring their no good, freaking bastard necks!"

The two in question are already long gone, but their peals of laughter can still be heard in the distance. I roll my eyes at the mischief caused by the pair. I'll bet anything it was Gilbert who came up with the idea, and being the carefree, fun loving guy he is, Feli went along with it. Lovino turns his murderous gaze at us, but he doesn't say anything to us. He goes back into his tent without another word.

"Is he gone?" Gilbert asks quietly from the rock behind us. Apparently he and Feliciano have been hiding there the whole time. The albino's head pops up above the top of the boulder.

"Veee~! Lovi is scary when he's mad," Feli says in a slightly frightened voice. His head also appears next to Gil's.

"Kesesese. It was totally worth it!"

"That's enough!" Ludwig roars. He's been silently seething this whole time, and now he's going to let his thoughts be known. "I'm so sick and tired of having to be the mature one around you! Why can't you act your age? You're lazy, and messy, and obnoxious! I'm done putting up with you!" The large Bear turns and walks away from his older brother, who is watching him with a shocked expression.

"W-wait! West! Wait!" Gilbert calls as he runs after the younger Bear. "Ludwig!" he says as he grabs his brother's arm. "What's gotten into you?"

"Leave me alone," Ludwig growls dangerously. He shakes Gilbert off his arm and continues to walk away.

"Ludwig! C'mon, don't be such a crab."

Before any of us can react, Ludwig's fist flies through the air and connects with Gilbert's face. The blow catches Gil off guard, and he falls to the ground. We watch in stunned silence as the blonde Bear walks away without another glance at his brother. Gilbert lies on the ground in shock as his cheek begins to turn red.

"Ludwig...?" he says quietly after the retreating figure.

I'm the first one to snap out of my daze, and I quickly make my way over to the elder Bear. One of his hands rubs his bruised face absentmindedly as he stares in the direction Ludwig went. I catch hold of his wrist to stop him from touching his cheek, which is starting to swell. The contact pulls his attention toward me, and I can see all kinds of confused emotions swirling in his eyes.

"Hey," I say quietly. "Let's get you something to put on that." He obediently stands up like I ask him to. I lead him back toward Kiku and Feli, who watch us with wide eyes. "Where's the stream where you got that water?" I ask Feli.

"A-a little ways down that way," he answers. The Wolf points in the direction of a narrow path that leads downhill, away from camp.

"Thanks," I say with a nod. I begin to walk where Feli indicated, but I stop when I realize Gilbert isn't following me. I walk back to him and take his hand. "We're going to the stream now, okay?" He looks at me blankly, but nods in response. For a minute there I thought the blow to the face scrambled his brains or something.

I lead Gilbert all the way to a small mountain stream at the end of the trail. Small plants and shrubs grow next to the life giving water in the loose mountain soil. I leave Gilbert sitting on a rock, and crouch next to the cool water. I didn't bring anything with me, so I tear a strip of cloth off the bottom of my tunic, and soak it in the water. From the temperature of the water, I would guess this is a glacier fed stream. We haven't gotten high enough in the mountains to walk through snow, but we can see the snowcaps and feel the frozen winds.

Once the cloth, and my hand, are nice and cool, I go back to Gilbert and place the wet cloth on his cheek. The welt his brother left is now purple, which contrasts starkly against his pale skin. He flinches slightly against the cold, but doesn't react otherwise. His unusually quiet behavior is starting to worry me.

I hold the cloth to his face until it looses its coldness. I repeat the process of soaking it in the water, and reapply it to the silent albino's face. This happens several more times before Gilbert reacts at all. On the fourth time placing the wet cloth against his cheek, he moves his hand up to hold both my hand, and the cloth, against his face.

"I-I'm sorry...about your shirt...you didn't have to tear it."

I look at him in surprise. It's not like him to stutter or hesitate. "That's not important right now," I tell him.

I pull the cloth and my hand out from under his own to soak in the stream again. The swelling in his cheek has gone down quite a bit. He begins to rub at it as soon as I remove the cloth.

"Don't do that," I say gently. "It'll get worse."

"He's never done that before," Gilbert murmurs.

"Done what?" I ask as I pull the dripping cloth from the stream. I assume he's talking about Ludwig.

"Get mad like that," he answers. I hold the cloth against his cheek, and he turns his face to look at me. "He's never gotten mad at me like that before."

"He's been under a lot of stress," I say to try to comfort him. "I'm sure he'll be back to normal soon."

The white haired Bear shakes his head, which causes me to have to remove the cloth from his face. "This is different. I just...this is different."

"How so?"

"He punched me in the face Lizzie!" Gilbert shouts as he jumps to his feet.

His sudden raised voice and change in demeanor surprises me so much that all I can do is look at him with wide eyes. He clenches his fists in frustration, and squeezes his eyes shut. I watch as he sinks back down to the rock he was sitting on before. His elbows are propped on his knees, and his shoulders slump as he lets his head hang.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie," he says in a quiet voice. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-it's okay," I answer in a shaky voice.

Gilbert turns his head slightly to look at me, then sighs. He gets off the rock he's sitting on, and kneels in front of where I'm sitting. I'm taken completely by surprise when he pulls me into a tight embrace. He holds me against himself as if he's afraid I'll walk away too.

"Thanks for taking care of me," he says. His breath tickles my neck as he talks. "I know I'm a pain."

"You're welcome," I say as I return his embrace. Even though I've never gotten many hugs in my life, I have to say I like this one best. I can't quite explain why though.

We hold onto each other for another moment, as if we're afraid the other will disappear if we let go. Gilbert opens his large white wings, and wraps the two of us in our own little world. I can feel something slowly begin to blossom in my heart. It makes me want to stay in the warmth created by Gilbert's arms forever.

I don't know who pulled away first, but the next thing I know, I'm looking into Gilbert's red eyes. The swirling emotions I saw earlier have disappeared, and all that remains is something I can't quite put my finger on. He begins to lean in slightly when our moment is disturbed by a loud voice.

"Liza! Gilbert! We have a problem! You need to come back!" Gilbert and I jump to our feet to meet the running Feli. He stops at the foot of the trail to catch is breath. "It's Ludwig," he says between breaths. "He hasn't...come back yet."

Gilbert furrows his brows at the news. "We need to go after him."

"I agree. There's no telling where he could've gone," I add.

"No, I know where he went." Feli and I look at the white haired Bear curiously. How could he know something like that? "Let's go," he says as he begin to run back up the trail.

The three of us meet with Kiku and Lovino back at camp. Everything's been put away, and the packs are all ready to go. We put on our respective packs over our wings and shoulders. Gilbert also grabs Ludwig's, and faces the rest of us.

"Everyone follow the awesome me," he instructs. The words he says are normal, but his tone is anything but. His face shows a determination I've never seen there before.

We follow the elder Bear out of our campsite for a while, and then things start to look familiar to me. I can't quite place it at first, but the farther we go, the more it starts to nag at me. It's like déjà vu, except I'm stuck with this perpetual feeling that I've been here before. I finally realize why I feel this way when we come to a widening of the path we're on. I look ahead to see what comes next, and sure enough, the path comes to a bend.

Without thinking, I run past everyone to go around the turn. It takes them a few moments to catch up to me, but when they do, I'm standing in front of the largest mountain face in the area. We all stare at the grand building built into the side of the cliff.

"The Bear Temple," Gilbert and I say at the same time.


	10. Chapter 10: Brothers' Strength

"Ludwig is inside," Gilbert says as he begins to walk up the stone stairs.

We follow him all the way to the top, and stop to catch our breath before continuing inside. The stone pillars in front of the entrance are much taller up close, which only make us feel tinier in comparison. I stare in wonder at the detailed carvings of forests and mountains on the walls of the passageway leading inside. There are plenty of bears carved into the wall as well, and I pause for a moment to brush my hand over two large bears standing in a cluster of trees. It reminds me of the missing member of our group and his forlorn older brother.

Kiku notices I've stopped, and waits for me to catch up. "Don't worry, we'll find him," he tells me, as if reading my mind.

I nod silently as I follow Kiku further into the temple. The hallway opens up to a large room illuminated by huge brass bowls hanging by chains from the ceiling. Each bowl must contain some sort of flammable liquid because flames flicker and dance within the brass basins. A stone alter stands in the middle of the cavernous room, and a tall statue stands behind it. I recognize the statue.

"Urmatri," I whisper. Despite how quiet I was, my voice still echoes in the giant room.

"Have you been here before?" Gilbert asks with a raised eyebrow. "How would you know what the Bear Mother looks like?"

"It's a...long story," I tell him. Now isn't the time to explain my dream.

Our group disperses around the room to look around for any signs of Ludwig. Wax drips from the clusters of lit candles on both sides of the stone alter as I approach it for a better look. Nothing indicates that the blonde Bear was ever here. I look over at the others, who also don't seem to be finding anything.

"Are you sure he came here?" Lovino asks with a huff. "What if we're just wasting our time?"

"He has to have come here," Gilbert insists. "West is focused on the quest. There's no way he'd give up on it when we were so close to the Temple."

Suddenly, the sound of pounding feet begin to echo around the chamber. Three men come running from a hallway that's different from the hall leading outside. We hadn't even noticed it in our haste to find Ludwig. The men are dressed in simple animal skin clothes, and wooden beads hang from the hems of their tunics, which clack together when the men move.

"Who are you?" the man in front demands. He has shaggy long hair, and shallow wrinkles starting to form on his face. My eyes are drawn to the dark red markings that have been painted on his face.

"Head Priest, has my brother come through here?" Gilbert asks. I assume the paint must symbolize who's the top priest.

"Brother?" the priest asks in confusion. His auburn colored wings flex as he thinks. "Hmmmm...do you mean the tall one that caused quite a commotion recently?"

"It must be him," I say. "How many other people would be up here recently?"

"You would be surprised, young one," the Head Priest says. "The Temple of the Bear Mother is visited by many pilgrims in search of strength and courage." His eyes land on my golden wings, and understanding dawns on his face. "You are the chosen champions."

"Y-yes," I confirm in surprise. "Were you expecting us?"

"We have heard about what occurred at the Ceremony of Legends from the clan elders. We've been awaiting your visit." The priest looks at our tired group. "You are missing someone. Your brother, I assume," he says and looks at Gilbert.

"Yeah," Gil answers.

"He is here."

Gilbert noticeably brightens, and the rest of us let out sighs of relief. "Where is he?" the elder Bear asks.

The Head Priest points to the statue in the back of the room. "The Temple reacted to his presence, and the path to the goddess's blessing was revealed." He chuckles softly. "It gave us quite a scare."

We walk to the statue with the three priests close on our heels. The other two with the Head Priest have yet to speak, and I wonder if they even can. Gilbert steps up to the statue, and looks around. After a few moments of searching, he turns to us with a confused look.

"Are you sure this is right?"

The Head Priest shrugs. "We did not see what your brother did. All we know is the Temple opened to him, and he was gone."

Gilbert turns back to the statue with knit brows. I'm afraid he's going to get frustrated and angry, but without warning, his whole demeanor changes. He straightens his posture, and walks confidently to the wall behind the statue. We follow him curiously. Gil raises a hand, and places it on a small carving etched into the wall. I would've never noticed it unless someone brought attention to it like the Bear just did.

Energy fills the air as a red aura forms around the albino. A deep rumbling is heard, and the floor shakes beneath our feet. The wall Gilbert has his hand on splits right down the middle. Rumbling changes to the sound of stone grinding on stone as the two halves of the wall pull away to reveal a corridor. It stretches into the dark depths of the temple with no hint as to what lies beyond. The silence presses in on us as the rumbling dies away, and we stand there in awe.

"Magnificent," the Head Priest breathes. "To think something like this has been here the whole time without our knowledge."

"Let's go," Gilbert instructs in a firm voice. He leads the way with Feli and Lovino right behind.

I begin to follow, but turn around when I notice the priests haven't moved. "Aren't you coming?"

"The secret depths of the Temple are not for us to discover," the wrinkled man says with a shake of his head. "Farewell, champion of the Great Mother."

He and the other priests place clawed hands over their heart in a salute. I nod in return because I don't know how else to respond, now that I'm not an Eagle anymore. The stone walls begin to slide shut behind me with another uproar, and I catch glimpse of the Head Priest smiling encouragingly before it closes. The darkness lasts only a moment, then hanging bowls above our heads, similar to the ones in the main room, light the hall with bright flames.

I quickly catch up to the others, who had continued on for a ways without me. There still hasn't been any sign of Ludwig, but the Head Priest had said this is where he went. We walk in silence for a while until my curiosity gets the better of me.

"How did you know how to open the passageway, Gil?" I ask the albino.

"I'm not sure," he answers. "I just had this feeling like that's what I should do, like I've known it all along."

I blink in surprise at what he said. That exactly describes how I had felt about extending my spear, or knowing how to wield it. It's like discovering a repressed memory.

The hall soon opens up into a circular room with two doorways. One is blocked by a large stone door with a bear paw carved into it, and the other has a steel door and another bear paw.

"Which way do we go?" I ask. There seems to be no difference between the left and right doors except the material they're made out of.

"Perhaps this is a clue," Kiku says. We turn to look at the short Eagle who is pointing to some writing on the wall between the two doors. He begins to read it out loud.

_"When young they're taught, from whence they came. When old they know, their claim to fame._

_ A virtue dear, each Bear lays hold. Within their heart, more dear than gold._

_ A mountain to move, a choice to make. There is but one door, correct to take."_

"Sounds like a riddle," Lovino deduces. "We just have to figure out what kind of stupid message is being left for some idiot Bear to figure out."

"Let's start from the beginning," I say, ignoring Lovino's rude comments. "'_When young they're taught, from whence they came. When old they know, their claim to fame_'. What could that mean?"

"Well, we're all taught the legends when we're young. Perhaps it means the legend which is reason for our quest when it says '_from whence they came_'," Kiku says thoughtfully. "The Legend of Matrisus is the story of our origin after all. It may be trying to tell us we're in the right place because we're on the same quest."

"That makes sense," I say with a nod. "But what about the next line? '_When old they know, their claim to fame_'."

"Hmmm...I don't have an answer for you. Sorry," Kiku says apologetically.

"Let's try to next few lines," I suggest. "'_A virtue dear, each Bear lays hold. Within their heart, more dear than gold_'."

"Strength," Gilbert's says. He's been unusually quiet since we entered the room, and I almost forgot he was there. "It means strength. A Bear takes pride in his strength more than anything, even gold. That's probably also what it means by '_claim to fame_'. Bears are known to be big and strong."

"That's true," I agree. "So far we know that it's talking about our quest and a Bear's strength. Now we just need the last two lines. '_A mountain to move, a choice to make. There is but one door, correct to take_'."

"The door part is obvious," Lovino chimes in. "Somewhere in those lines we're supposed to figure out which door to take. Leave it to a Bear to come up with silly poems instead of just telling you how to do it."

I smack the loudmouth Wolf in the back of the head. "We don't need any cynicism, thank you very much. I think the key lies in the first line. '_A mountain to move, a choice to make_'. It's telling us there's a choice to make, and that it involves moving a mountain."

"I've got it!" Kiku says with a snap of his fingers. "The answer is the stone door. Stone comes from the mountain, so if we want to advance, we have to move the stone door."

"That's genius, Kiku!" I exclaim. "Let's give it a try!"

The four of us working on the puzzle brace ourselves against the stone door and push as hard as we can. Nothing. We give it another try, but still it doesn't move.

"This doesn't make sense," I say in frustration. "We got the answer right."

"That's what I thought too."

We all jump at the sound of Ludwig's deep voice. He and Feli are sitting next to the entry where we came from, and I assume they've been watching us the whole time.

"Ludwig! Why did you run off like that?" Gilbert shouts. His voice bounces around the circular room. "You could've gotten into a lot of trouble! What we're you thinking?"

"Don't talk to me like you're being responsible," Ludwig growls. "You're the reason I worry all the time! If you start acting your age, I won't have to babysit you all the time!"

This takes Gilbert by surprise. "Babysit me? I've been the one taking care of you all these years because you we're too scared to go out and make friends! You don't know about the sacrifices I had to make so that you could become the great kid mom and dad always wanted!"

Silence fills the room after Gilbert's outburst. He looks just as surprised as Ludwig at the words that came out of his mouth.

"What do you mean the kid they always wanted?"

Gilbert looks down at the ground with clenched fists. "I-I...I always talk so big, but deep down inside I'm just a failure. I couldn't be the kind of kid that would make our folks proud. So when you came around, everyone had big hopes that you would be the perfect child. Big and strong like our old man, and smart like ma. But then you were too shy to go outside and make any friends. I...I couldn't stand the idea of them looking at you like a failure too, so I spent hours taking you out into the woods so you could learn to be brave. I beat up anyone that picked on you at school, and I got beat up plenty for it. I did it all for you!"

Ludwig's eyes grow wider and wider as his brother talks. I can see the anger slowly leave his face, and something completely different take its place. Shame.

"You turned out to be the perfect kid everyone was hoping for, and I'm the good for nothing older brother that everyone laughs at. That's why I thought the goddess made a mistake picking me to go on this quest. I'm no champion. My own brother thinks I'm worthless." Gilbert pulls out the necklace that signaled him to be a champion at the ceremony. "The elders said we should take the relics with us because they would guide us to the right path. Too bad they didn't know I'm not the person they're looking for." He pulls his hand back to throw the artifact to the ground, but Ludwig's hand catches hold of his wrist.

"Brother...I'm so sorry. I didn't know," Ludwig says in a soft voice. "I don't believe you're a failure, and I don't believe the goddess made a mistake."

Gilbert wrenches his arm free from his brother. "Spare me, West. I don't need you feeling sorry for me too."

"But I don't!" the blonde Bear insists. "You're my elder brother, and I've...I've..."

"I think what Ludwig is trying to say is even though he thinks you're annoying, he still admires you because you're his brother," Feliciano says with a smile. "Lovino can be really mean sometimes, but I still love him because he's my brother and takes good care of me." Feli hops over to his brother and gives him a hug.

"Brother, I've never thought you were a failure," Ludwig says quietly. "Feliciano is right. I am proud to be your brother, and I believe mother and father are proud of you as well. You were always there when they couldn't be, and I'm sorry I've taken you for granted. Please, brother, don't be angry."

Gilbert turns toward Ludwig with his head down. He approaches his younger brother, and gives him a hug. "Don't you ever run away again, West."

Ludwig returns the embrace with his strong arms. "I'm sorry, brother. I won't do it again. I promise."

"This is real touching and all," Lovino interrupts loudly as he struggles with a clingy Feli. He finally manages to push his twin away. "We still have to find a way to get through this stupid temple."

"We tried the stone door, but it didn't work," I remind him. "We did everything the riddle said."

"I couldn't get it to work either," Ludwig says after he and Gilbert let go of each other. "I've been here waiting the whole time."

"Veeee~! Does that mean we're stuck here?" Feli asks in a panicked voice. "I'm too young to die!"

"Nobody's dying on my awesome watch!" Gilbert exclaims. I'm glad to see he's back to his old self. "I'll get us out of here!"

"We have to be missing something," I murmur. "We know which door, but even the four of us couldn't open it."

"I've been thinking," Kiku interjects, "that the riddle puts quite a bit of emphasis on strength, but not just anyone's strength. It specifically talks about the strength found in the Bear clan. So it seems to me that in order to advance we need to have the Bears from the quest, and their strength."

Kiku's logic slowly sinks in, and we all look at each other excitedly. "That just might work!" I say excitedly.

"Ready to move a mountain, West?" Gilbert asks his brother as he rolls up his sleeves.

"Whenever you are, brother."

The two brace themselves against the stone door, and begin to push with all their might. At first, nothing seems to happen, but a familiar sensation takes place as the air fills with energy. A blue aura appears around Ludwig, and a red one around Gilbert, as the brothers strain against the door. We watch in astonishment as the stone door begins to swing open. The two Bears slowly push the door completely open, and the energy dissipates from the room.

"Not bad, West!" Gil says with a wide grin. He motions for us to follow him through the door to the next room.


	11. Chapter 11: Bear Temple

Things begin to get hectic before we even walk into the next room. Feli starts screaming his head off and running around the circular room in a panic.

"Waaaaaahhhh! There's a big scary bear in here! Help!"

I pull my spear off my pack and extend it to its full length. "Is this another test?" I yell to anyone that's listening.

True to Feli's words, a large bear with dark gold fur comes lumbering after us. I take a defensive stance to prepare for an oncoming attack. The attack never comes though because Ludwig gets between me and the bear.

"Ludwig! Watch out! Are you crazy?" I shout as the bear stops right in front of the younger Beilschmidt.

"It's okay, Elizabeta," Ludwig says calmly. "This is just Germany."

"Germany?" I repeat. "Is he your spirit animal?"

"Yes," Ludwig answers. "There's no need to be frightened."

The large bear stands up on its hind legs, which makes it taller than Ludwig, and holds out a paw. Ludwig presses his palm against the gold bear's clawed limb, and it fades away with a soft glow.

"We were talking while we waited for you to arrive," Ludwig explains. "He must have dozed off while we opened the door and had just woken up." The tall Bear turns to Feli. "I'm surprised you didn't notice him earlier, Feliciano."

"I-I was too busy listening t-to everyone talk. You s-sure have a sc-cary animal, Ludwig," the frightened Wolf stutters out.

"Are you done back there?" Lovino calls from the door. "Some of us would like to get moving!"

"We're coming!" I shout back. I revert my spear back to its shortened form and strap it to my pack.

The three of us catch up to the other three standing in the doorway, and resume walking to the next room. We go through a narrow hall, which opens to a huge room with a high ceiling. It looks more like a cave than a room. Stalactites hang from the dimly lit ceiling, and some fuse together with stalagmites growing from the floor.

The entrance to the cave like room opens to a rocky ledge before dropping off into darkness. It's impossible to gauge how deep the chasm is, and I'm sure no one feels like finding out any time soon. Stone columns rise from the depth of the chasm and create platforms to the ledge on the other side of the gap. The only way across seems to be jumping from column to column.

"Do we jump?" I ask hesitantly. I'm afraid of what the answer will be.

"No," Lovino answers with a flourish of his dark, speckled wings. "We fly, idiot."

I could've slapped myself for being so stupid. Of course flying would be easier, and safer. The rest of us extend our wings to take to the air. With a powerful jump, we all take off for the other side of the cave. This must have been anticipated because as soon as we get off the ground stalactites begin to rain down on us from the cave's ceiling.

"Back to the ledge!" Ludwig yells. We all manage to make it back safely.

"What the heck was that?" Lovino asks. "Who builds a temple with a room like this in it?"

"Who did build the Temples?" I ask curiously.

"I think the legends say the original members of our clans did," Kiku tells me. "That explains why they are filled with mysterious magic."

"Well how are we supposed to get across then? Do we have to jump?" Gilbert asks.

"Looks like it," I say with a sigh. "Unless anyone wants to try flying around sharp rocks."

"N-not me!" Feli hastily says.

"Then it's settled. The faster members of our group will go first," Ludwig says with a nod at the Wolves. "Brother and I will bring up the rear."

Lovino and Feli turn to face the gaping chasm. Both are nervous, but Lovino hides it better than his brother, who's knees look like they'll give out at any moment.

"On three," Lovino instructs. "One. Two. Three!"

The two leap across the rock ledge onto two columns. The columns begin to shake under their feet, and they quickly jump to the next one. I watch them in fascination as they jump and flip gracefully from column to column. Wolves really are mesmerizing to watch. I'm so wrapped up in observing them that I almost miss my cue to begin crossing the abyss.

"Go, Elizabeta!" Ludwig shouts.

I give my head a quick shake as I jump to the column in front of me. It's already been weakened by Feli landing on it, and begins to crumble beneath my feet. I start to fall backward as the stone pillar sinks back into the dark depths, but I quickly crouch to lower my center of gravity and regain my balance. Then I spring from the pillar, just before it falls completely apart, and land on another one next to it.

"Be careful which ones you land on!" I holler to the Bears behind me. "They break if you're not careful!"

I methodically hop from pillar to pillar until I make it across without another collapsing on me. I turn around to watch Ludwig and Gilbert jump their way across too. Their height and weight make it difficult for them to move quickly, and sometimes a column begins to crumble even though it's the first time anyone's landed on it. Ludwig makes it over to us first. He lands clumsily next to Kiku, who helps steady him so he doesn't fall backward off the ledge.

"C'mon Gil," I murmur under my breath. The white haired Bear is a little more than halfway through, and seems to be having a lot of trouble.

"He needs to hurry up or he's not going to make it," Lovino growls.

Several pillars have already collapsed, so Gilbert is steadily running out of options. He's about two columns away from the ledge when the rock beneath his feet breaks away from the main pillar. Gil is knocked off balance and lands heavily on his rear. This causes the pillar to begin collapsing faster with him still on top.

"Jump!" several of us shout in unison.

The Bear leaps into the air moments before the pillar completely breaks apart. He sails toward another stone column, but his jump wasn't powerful enough to get him to it. I hold my breath as I watch him reach for the column, but I know he won't make it. All I can see is the panicked expression on Gilbert's face as he falls past the pillar.

Suddenly, he whips open his large white wings and starts rising with powerful downward strokes. I let go of the breath I'm holding, but begin to worry once again when I remember the falling stalactites. Gilbert seems to have abandoned the idea of jumping across the abyss because he continues to fly as fast as he can toward us. Rock starts to fall from the ceiling, which makes the albino swerve to avoid them. The fact that he has to dodge the falling stalactites makes the distance to the ledge longer than it otherwise would've been.

He's almost all the way to the ledge when a rock clips the edge of his wing. It knocks him out of the air, and takes out several of his feathers as well. Luckily, he's close enough to crash land on the stone ledge we're standing on, and we flock around him to see if he's okay.

"Don't crowd him," Ludwig says as he holds us back at arms length.

Gilbert slowly stands up with drooping wings. One of them is hanging limply from his back, which can only mean it's broken or dislocated. Gil brushes the dust from his clothes and hair before turning to us with a strained smile.

"Was that awesome or what?"

We all relax at the usual obnoxious tone of his voice. If he can still act this obnoxious, then he must not be hurt too bad. Even with that logic, I can't help but be concerned for the condition of his wing. Injuries like that can have lifelong side effects if they're not treated properly.

"Are you alright?" Ludwig asks his older brother.

"Yeah! Don't worry about me," Gil says with another big smile.

"Let's move on then," Lovino calls over his shoulder. He's already walking toward the entrance to the next room. Everyone follows him, but I stay behind and walk with Gilbert.

"Are you really okay?" I ask concerned.

"Yup. The awesome me has never been better," he insists.

"Oh really?" I don't believe him for a second. "Then you won't mind if I do this." I gently tug on his limp wing.

"Ouch!" Gilbert yelps. "So maybe I'm not completely okay. Just don't worry about it."

I don't get a chance to respond because we've come to another room. This one doesn't have any doors, so I assume it's the last one. It's about the same size as the first room with the two doors, but instead of the doors it has two bear statues in the middle. They're rearing up on their hind feet and have their mouths open in a snarl.

I sense a presence in this room, and I can tell Gil and Ludwig can feel it too. The two look around as if searching for something. All of a sudden, everything loses its color. The room and everything in it are varying shades of gray, including the members of our group. Only Gilbert, Ludwig, the bear statues, and I are in color. I also notice that everything not in color has stopped moving. It's as if the world froze around us and it's trapped in some sort of limbo.

"What's going on, West?" Gilbert questions as he turns to look around the room.

"I don't know, brother," the taller Bear answers. "This is very odd."

I join the two Bears in front of the statue. It's weird seeing everyone else stuck in their colorless, motionless state. "How is this possible?"

"It is possible because I make it so."

The three of us look around to see the source of the voice, but no one else is in the room. A soft glow appears between the bear statues. It suddenly disappears, and the same woman from my dream now stands between the statues. She steps out from the midst of the reared bears with a gentle smile.

"Welcome, my children," she says to the two Bears. Just like my dream, her lips don't move as she speaks, but a voice is still audible. "And welcome, champion of Matrisus."

Gilbert and Ludwig salute her in the manor of the bears while I give a small bow. I still need to figure out how to salute people now that I'm not an Eagle anymore. The beautiful woman's smile widens, and she opens her arms to the two Bears.

"I am so proud of the strength and courage you two have shown. You will be a great help on your quest." She approaches Gilbert and places a hand on his limp wing. "Gilbert, my child. Life has not been kind to you, but you carry on with the heart of the strongest bear. Your efforts will be greatly rewarded." I swear she glances at me as she says this.

A glow appears under the goddess's hand and envelops Gilbert's broken wing in a pure light. She pulls her hand away to reveal his wing as good as new. Gil extends it tentatively and flexes it a few times.

"Thank you," he says in awe. Urmatri smiles kindly at him.

She walks to Ludwig next, and places a hand on his arm. "Ludwig, one of my brightest children. While your brother has a great strength of heart, you possess tremendous physical and mental strength. Use it wisely because there will be a time when your companions will need it." The goddess smiles at the blonde Bear. "Trust your brother, young one. He means well."

The Bear Mother steps away from the two brothers and turns to the statues behind her. She places a hand on one of each of the bears' paws. The five claws on the paws glow red, and she pulls them off the statues.

"Do you have the relics?" she asks as she turns around. Gil and Ludwig pull out the two necklaces from the ceremony. "These claws will enhance your strength tenfold. They are my blessing to you."

The goddess places five claws into their proper places on each necklace. Both necklaces glow faintly red after they've been completed, and the Bear Mother places one around each brother's neck.

"Farewell, my children. May you be successful on your journey."

Urmatri disappears in a flash of light, and everything returns to normal. Everything has regained its color, but it's as if time never passed at all. The other members of our group move around like nothing ever happened. The three of us who met the goddess look at each other knowingly. I nod my head to the brothers to indicate that they should tell the others what happened.

"We have something to tell you," Ludwig announces. Kiku and the Wolves turn to look at the tall Bear. "We...well...we just met the Bear Mother."

"When? Just now?" Lovino asks confused. "I didn't see anything."

"It's...er...difficult to explain," Ludwig tells him. "Time seems to have stopped for you while we talked to her."

The three stare at him with confused looks. "What you're saying isn't making very much sense," Kiku says.

"Look, we know it's crazy, but West is telling the truth," Gilbert responds. "Ask Lizzie. She was there too."

Kiku, Feli, and Lovino turn to look at me. I nod energetically in hopes it would make it more convincing. "It's true. I was there. She gave them her blessing and everything." I point to the necklaces with the red bear claws in them, which were not there before the encounter with the Bear Mother.

"Good enough for me," Feli says with a shrug. "What was it like?"

"She's amazing," Gil says with a wide grin. "She fixed my wing too!"

Everyone gathers around him to look at his healed wing except for me. I put my hands on my forehead as a dizzy spell comes over me. Ludwig notices my discomfort and approaches me just as I black out.

I open my eyes to find I'm still in the deepest room in the Bear Temple. The only difference is everyone is gone. I'm guessing this is a dream because it has one of those odd, dreamlike feels. That's why I'm not even surprised when Matrisus appears next to me with her golden glow.

"You've done well," she says with a smile. "We're all very pleased."

"Thank you," I say with a nod.

"You've been confused as to how to salute, yes?" she says knowingly. I nod sheepishly. "Here, like this." The goddess crosses her arms over her chest so that her hands rest by her shoulders.

I imitate her and smile. "Well, now things won't be so awkward with the salutes anymore."

The Great Mother lets out a small laugh. "Yes, I would assume so." All the laughter leaves her face as she looks me straight in the eyes. "You've done well coming here, but it will only get more difficult from here on out."

I return her solemn look. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"Do not despair," the goddess says with a softer look. "I will give you something to help you." She takes my hands in hers, and a warm feeling surrounds them as they begin to glow. "I've given you the ability to heal. How well you can heal depends on your strength and will to do so," she explains.

"Thank you," I tell her as I inspect my hands. They look just like they did before.

"I will try to come to you like this again soon, but I cannot guarantee it. I prefer visiting you in dreams because then I can have a physical body, even if it's not real. The drawback is that it requires more energy on my part." The Great Mother looks at me apologetically. "My strength is greater here in the sanctuary of another goddess, so it allowed me to visit you, but it may be a while before I can speak with you again."

"I understand, and I appreciate all of your help" I notice Matrisus is starting to fade as I say this.

"It would seem I've run out of time. Thank you for your hard work," the goddess tells me. "Just one more thing before I go. Beware the shadow...It grows in strength every day. You must be the light...the light in the darkness."


	12. Chapter 12: Flight

My eyes shoot open as the goddess disappears. Orange sunlight blinds me for a moment as I try to figure out where I am. It seems like I've been moved to the main room of the Bear Temple with the alter and statue while I was unconscious. The sun is at the perfect angle to come through the Temple's main hall and get me right in the eyes. I shade my eyes and look around to find the others are also lying on the ground. They all begin to stir at the same time.

"Ugh...what happened?" Gil asks.

"I was hoping you could tell me," I reply. "The last thing I remember was passing out in the room with the bears."

"West caught you," Gilbert recalls. "Then the rest is a blank."

"We must have all lost consciousness at the same time," Kiku determines.

"How did we get back out here?" Lovino asks with a shake of his head.

"Beats me," I say with a shrug. "Maybe it was magic."

"With all the crazy stuff going on lately I wouldn't be surprised," Gilbert mumbles.

"Everyone's alright though, right?" Ludwig asks in his deep voice. We all nod.

"Veeee~! That was a nice nap!" Feli raises his arms to stretch, but winces and pulls his left arm back. I had almost forgotten about his injury.

"Here, Feli. Let me see," I say as I scoot over to him.

"It's okay Elizabeta! Really!" the Wolf insists. He pulls his arm in closer.

"Just show me Feli." I give him a look that says I'm not going to take no for an answer.

He sighs and hesitantly holds his arm out to me. I carefully roll the sleeve back and gasp. The cut on his arm is definitely not okay. It looks like it's infected, so it's all discolored and swollen. Dried pus and scabs crust the edge of the wound, and I do my best not to touch it.

"Feli, how long has it been like this?" I ask in distress.

"A while," he says with his head bowed. "I didn't want everyone to worry. I didn't want to hold everyone back."

"You idiot," Lovino growls. He's standing above the two of us and looking at his brothers arm. "How many times do I have to tell you to think about yourself more!"

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Feli stutters out. Tears begin to pool in the corner of his eyes. "I-I didn't know w-what to do."

"How are we supposed to treat an infection like that?" Ludwig asks in concern. "We don't have any medicine strong enough, and it will get worse before we can make it back to any civilization."

A tense silence comes over our group as we realize the severity of our situation. I gently release Feli's arm and begin to roll up my sleeves.

"What are you doing Liza?" the sniffling Wolf asks. He wipes a few tears away with the back of his good arm.

"I've never tried this before," I tell him. "So I'm just preparing myself." I place my hands just above his wound and brace myself. "I don't think this will hurt, but brace yourself just in case."

Everyone watches me try to heal Feli's arm. I've only just acquired this ability, so I have no idea how it really works. All I know is that it has to work or Feli's in deep trouble. I focus on the wound and will it with my mind to heal. Energy begins to flow through me to my hands, and they let off a golden light. We all stare dumbfounded when Feli's arm heals itself. It first gets rid of the infection, then the cut itself disappears. The light fades, and Feli holds up his arm, which is now in perfect condition.

"Veeeee~! Liza! How did you do that?" Feli asks with a big smile. "Thank you!" He give me a big hug, which I gladly return.

"How did you do that?" Gilbert asks curiously. I can tell he's not the only one who wants to know.

"The Great Mother gave me this power when we were all passed out," I explain. "She must have brought us back here too."

Lovino sighs moodily. "Man, all of this crazy stuff is happening on this stupid quest. I wish the legends had been more specific about what's going to happen. Instead we just get weird powers and magically transported without warning." He sighs again and faces me. "Thank you though, for helping my brother," he says with averted eyes.

"You're welcome," I reply with a smile. I stand and help Feli up too. "What should we do now?"

"It's already pretty late," Ludwig says as he looks toward the exit. The sun has already dropped past the jagged horizon. "We should camp out here tonight."

"Let's go back to the place we stayed last night," Lovino says as he begins to walk to the exit. "I'm getting sick of this place."

We hike a little ways back to our previous camping spot, and set up camp in a similar fashion as the night before. Gilbert coaxes a small fire out of the dry shrubs we scavenge, which we use to heat up a little water. We sit around the fire silently as it crackles in the dark.

"Where do we go next?" I ask no one in particular.

"Most likely to Wolf Territory," Kiku answers. "The usual order of things is Bear, Wolf, Eagle."

I pull out my copy of the legend from my pack. "_Matrisus and her companions visited the homes of each child to gain the blessings of the goddesses and the land. In the mountains, the bear brothers were blessed with enchanted claws. In the plains, the wolf twins were blessed with heightened senses. In the valleys, the single eagle was blessed with foresight_."

"Enchanted claws?" Gilbert asks with a raised eyebrow. "So these?" He pulls his necklace out from under his shirt.

"I guess so," I say. "But what about the Wolves getting their heightened senses or the Eagle getting foresight? Those aren't actual things like the necklace."

"Perhaps the enchanted claws are in reference to the extra strength we've been given," Ludwig comments. "It's symbolic for the blessings, not the claws themselves."

"That make sense too," I agree with a nod.

"Pffeh. I don't know what you idiots are even talking about," Lovino mumbles as he stands up. "I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight!" I call, but he doesn't respond as he slips into his tent.

"It is getting late. We should all be going to sleep," Ludwig tells us.

We agree, and the others get up to follow Lovino's example. I turn to my pack to put the legend away when something catches my eye. I unstrap my spear from my pack and look at it closely. Sure enough, something that looks like bear claws tied to leather cords now hang from the blunt end of my spear. I hold them closer to my face, and they shine in the dim glow of the dying fire.

"For receiving your first blessing and passing the tests," the faint voice of the Great Mother says. I smile softly as I reattach the spear to my pack. I guess I'm making some decent progress after all.

I pick up my pack and bring it with me into my tent. I can hear Kiku's heavy breathing as I make my way to my side of our shared tent, which can only mean that he's sleeping. I settle down on the ground and think about what we have yet to do on our quest. We're about a third of the way through, so we'll hopefully be done before the snows come. I shiver slightly when I think about snow. It's already cool enough in the mountains without more snow. I pull my cloak out of my pack and wrap myself in it tightly before falling asleep, completely oblivious of the dark shadow slinking around our camp.

Ludwig gets us going fairly early the next morning. His goal is to find a place to stock up on food before trekking east across Bear Territory to Wolf Territory. We all agree that Monteurbem is not an option after what happened the last time we stopped there. Ludwig leads us toward smaller cities closer to the eastern border.

It's going to take a few days to get there, so we brace ourselves for a lot of walking. Despite that fact, the mood of our group has definitely improved from the seriousness that weighed on everyone in the Bear Temple. Feli and Italy hop around happily as we hike down gravely paths away from the mountains. He and his spirit animal stop prancing around to talk to Ludwig and Germany for a moment before continuing their skipping.

I smile as I see the smiles on everyone else's faces. Even Lovino has a faint smile tugging on his lips. The idea of leaving Bear Territory must be what's putting him in an unusually good mood. I don't really blame him though. The mountains are starting to become rather redundant, and I can't wait to get back to some trees and grass.

We stop for the night at the base of the last mountain peak in the area. I have Kiku show me where we are on the map because I have no clue where we are or where we're going. He points to a spot east of Monteurbem. We're not as far inland as the large city, but the mountains don't go as far here as they do at Monteurbem. I'm relieved to know we'll be seeing some greenery soon. We all go to bed early to get a good night's rest. Seeing trees again makes everyone excited to get an early start.

I wake up refreshed and rearing to go almost as soon as Ludwig wakes us all up. We pack up quickly and resume walking to one of the cities Ludwig and Kiku have picked on the map, but they can't decide which one they'd rather go to yet, and argue about it as we walk.

"But Kiku, Coruscaluco is closer to where we are now. It would be better if we go there," Ludwig says to my dark haired friend.

Kiku twitches his black wings in impatience. It would seem they've been discussing this for a while. "That may be true, but it's too far out of the way. Salictiligna is on our way."

"We won't make it there with the supplies we have," Ludwig argues back. "We need to buy more food."

"We can find some on our way to Salictiligna in the forest," Kiku retorts.

Ludwig turns and notices me listening to the two of them. "What do you think, Elizabeta?"

"Er...well..." I wasn't expecting to get pulled into this.

"I think you two should loosen up!" Gilbert shouts as he runs past us. "Live a little!" he yells as he jumps off the cliff at the end of the trail we're on.

After a moment he shoots up through the air above our heads on his large white wings. I smile and run for the cliff myself. Giving my wings a stretch sounds like a great idea right about now. I hurl myself over the cliff and am met with an amazing view of the deep green forest growing right up to the cliff face. My wings open with a snap, and I'm carried high into the sky by an upward air draft. I do some rolls in the air and giggle excitedly at the feeling of exhilaration that fills me from head to toe.

"Come one everyone!" I shout behind me.

I circle around to see Feli and Lovino also jumping off the cliff after me. They open their brown wings and climb the warm updraft as well. The only way I can even tell them apart from this distance is the color of their hair and wings. Feli's hair is redder, and his wings are lighter brown. Lovino has darker hair and wings, which have light brown speckles. The twin Wolves do loops in unison as they fly toward me.

Gilbert suddenly appears next to me with a grin. "Was this an awesome idea or what?" I smile back at him happily.

We fly back to the cliff together to get Kiku and Ludwig to join us. They haven't gotten off the ground yet, and this is definitely a problem because they're missing all the fun.

"Come one Kiku!" I yell at the short Eagle. "It's so nice! Japan would like it too!"

Kiku looks up at me when I mention his spirit animal. It's been a while since the two have gone flying together. The Eagle lets out a sigh and manifests his animal. The sleek falcon appears on his shoulder but quickly takes to the air. That's all the persuasion Kiku needs to jump into the air after his partner. His black wings glisten in the sun as he flies after the falcon.

"You're the last one, West!" Gilbert shouts at his brother. "Hurry up! We gotta show them how awesome us Beilschmidts are!"

Ludwig sighs in defeat. He must know there's no way out of it now. The blonde Bear crouches slightly before leaping high into the air. He jumps at least three of his own body lengths before whipping open his huge pale yellow wings. The two brothers do several areal maneuvers that make me wonder if Bears really are the weakest flyers.

I take off after the others, who are starting to fly over the forest and away from the cliff, when I remember my own spirit animal. Excitedly, I call my partner out in a burst of crimson flames. She's as beautiful as ever, and shines radiantly in the sun as we catch up to everyone.

"Hello, Elizabeta," she says in my mind.

"Hey, Hungary," I say back. "Sorry I haven't called you out lately. Things have been kinda crazy."

"I understand," she says with a blink. "But I am glad you called me out now. It's lovely outside today."

I look up at the azure sky and the fluffy white clouds rolling across it. The air is crisp and fresh as it blows my long hair around. "It really is," I say with a smile.

We catch up to the others and fly together for a while. The wind is blowing from our back, which gives us a boost, and it's easy sailing for at least a few hours. I enjoy seeing the vibrant greens of the plants growing below us, unlike the dull browns of the mountains.

My eyes wander across the vast expanse of green, and land on a hole in the forest. This makes me rather curious, so I turn to look at Hungary.

"Do you see that?" I ask pointing to the clearing. "What is it?"

"I don't know," the phoenix answers in my mind. "Let's go take a look."

We serve toward the opening in the forest, and the others stop to watch us go. They eventually follow after us in confusion, and I can hear Lovino complaining loudly. Hungary and I reach the clearing first, and I gasp in surprise at what I see. A decent sized town is nestled in the forest with lots of people walking around. They people notice me in the air and start waving excitedly.

"What is this place?" I ask Hungary.

"I do not know, but it doesn't feel normal," she says as she narrows her eyes.

"Elizabeta! Where are you going?" Kiku calls as he and the others fly over to me. They hover in the air next to me and look at the town with shock.

"This is odd," Ludwig says. "This city isn't on any map. I can't tell you what it's called either. I've never been here before."

"I agree with West," Gilbert adds. "I've never heard of a city here before. This is some of the thickest forest in the Bear Territory. I didn't think people lived out here."

"Should we go down there?" I ask. "They're all waving us down."

"It couldn't hurt," Gil says with a shrug.

We slowly descend in the middle of the town, and the large crowd that has gathered makes room for us to land. They look at us excitedly with gleaming eyes and large smiles. There's something a little weird about the people though. I can see some with twigs and leaves sticking out of their hair. Others have odd splotches of green ink or paint on their skin. A little girl approaches me with a shy smile on her face. She looks completely normal, except for her wings. They're not feathered like ours. I would describe them more like insect wings, thin, clear, and shimmering.

"Hello, champions of the Great Mother," the girl says in a bell like voice. "Welcome to Sylvumbra."

* * *

Latin Meanings for Names:

Coruscaluco: formed using coruscante luco (shining grove)

Salictiligna: formed using salicti ligna (willow wood)

Sylvumbra: formed using sylva umbra (forest shade)


	13. Chapter 13: Sylvumbra

I find it odd that this girl knows we're the Great Mother's champions. Only the elders, and I assume our families, know about us being on this journey. Well, I guess the priests knew, but that was probably because the elders told them. How this girl knows about us, I have no idea.

"Thanks," I say. "We didn't know people lived out here, so it was a surprise to see all of you here."

"We've all lived here for quite a long time. Centuries in fact." Ludwig and Gilbert look at each other in confusion. "We were hoping you'd find us."

"Oh." I have no idea what to say to that. Things are getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

"Come! Let us have a feast!" an elderly looking man says excitedly. He had curly vines poking out of his beard and green paint on his wrinkled forehead.

The crowd of strange people cheer excitedly and begin to usher us toward a large building. Two small children take my hands and skip beside me as I walk inside. The building is like a giant meeting hall with an enormous table in the middle, which has been piled high with all sorts of food. My eyes go wide at the sight of so many things to eat, and I'm sure the others react in a similar manor. We've been rationing our food for so long that I've forgotten what it's like to eat as much as I want at one time.

"Sit with us!" the little kids say in unison. I assume they're brother and sister because they look so much alike. They also have insect like wings, and flitter over to a spot at the table.

I look back to see the others are also being asked to sit with people. It makes me a little nervous, but these people don't appear to be bad. I sit down on a small stool in between the two siblings. The thought of eating so much food makes me want to trust these people, but I decide to stay on my guard just in case. I look around to make sure I know where the possible exits are, and just as I do, something dark scurries past the doorway leading outside.

"Friends! Today it is our great honor to sit down to feast with the champions of the Great Mother, or as we call her, the Protector." A tall man with wild hair and green paint streaking his arms has stood up to address the crowd gathered around the mammoth table. "We hope you will enjoy your time here, and bless us with your presence." He raises a glass, and everybody else follows suit. "To the Protector."

"The Protector!" a chorus of voices say in response. We all take a drink of some really good grape juice, and then the feasting begins.

I look around excitedly at my choices and completely forget about the weird thing I saw crawling around outside. It's been too long since I've had a decent meal. The table is full of different berries, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. I furrow my brows as I realize that's all there really is. Some of the bowls just contain different combinations of the same things.

"Where's all the meat?"

Silence fills the meeting hall. All of the strangle people stare at Gilbert. "M-meat?" a young boy sitting next to him asks. "Like...animals?"

"Yeah," Gilbert says with a nod of his head. "Do you, uh...not eat that here?"

"Animals are our beloved friends. We would never kill them just to eat them."

Gilbert turns several shades of red. "Oh, uh...er...sorry."

The crowd slowly goes back to their eating, but I can tell people are talking about Gil in hushed whispers. I don't know why, but that bothers me more than it really should. I pop a few chestnuts into my mouth as I contemplate what just happened. Raw chestnuts are not a favorite of mine, so I wash them down with plenty of juice. I didn't realize they weren't cooked when I picked them up.

"You guys don't cook anything here, huh?"

Silence fills the hall once again. I look around nervously as all eyes turn to me. "Cooking requires...fire," the little girl next to me says. Everyone, except for my group, cringes at the word.

"Oh, alright. I guess that makes sense," I tell her. It really doesn't, but I don't say that. These people become stranger and stranger the longer we're with them.

When the feast is finally over, we're led to another smaller building toward the edge of town. It has enough beds for all of us, which makes me so happy I could cry. I've been sleeping on the ground for too long.

"Please don't hesitate to ask us for anything," the lady who brought us here says. She has flowers poking out of her hair, which has been pulled into a bun, and sparkling green eyes.

We wave to her as she walks away and close the door. It's really dark without any lamps or candles, so we stumble around in the dark for a while. There are several exclamations of pain as the others run into things in the dark.

"I found a lamp!" Feli exclaims.

"Light it already!" Lovino shouts grumpily. He must have been one of the ones who ran into something.

"I don't know how!" Feli calls out into the dark. "Oh, wait. Maybe this will-"

A soft white light fills the room, and I can finally see where everyone is. Gilbert and Lovino are sitting on the floor rubbing their shins. They must have run into something. Ludwig and Kiku are each standing near a bed, and Feli is in the corner with a very strange looking lantern.

"What's with that lamp?" Gilbert asks as he gets to his feet.

"I-I don't know. I just pressed this button," Feli explains.

He points to a small button at the base of the lamp. Gilbert walks to the corner and carefully picks up the odd lantern. He presses the button, and the light goes out. He presses it again and the light turns back on.

"How does it work?" Kiku asks.

Gilbert peers into the glass globe of the lamp. "Fireflies," he replies. "Probably magic fireflies from the look of it."

"Is anybody else getting the impression that this place isn't normal?" I ask.

Several of the others nod. "There isn't much we can do at this point," Ludwig says. "Let's just get to bed and we can figure it out in the morning."

Lovino hops into the bed closest to him with a thud. "Yeah, and it'll keep you two trouble makers out of any more trouble," he says with a look at me and Gilbert. He's obviously referring to what happened at the feast.

"Hey! How were we supposed to know?" I say in our defense.

"Just be quiet and go to bed, idiot," the moody Wolf mumbles.

He and his brother are already snoring away, and the rest of us watch incredulously. How do they fall asleep so fast? I pick the bed against the wall next to Feli. The blanket is soft, and I smell its woodsy smell as I wriggle underneath it. I sigh contently when I get nice and comfortable. The light isn't even turned off by the time I fall asleep.

Despite the fact they went to bed first, Lovino and Feli are the last to wake up the next morning. We literally have to roll them out of bed to get them up. Needless to say, Lovino was not a happy camper after that. We're led from the building we slept in to another house used for eating. It's not the meeting hall, but it's one of the larger buildings in this town. Other people are already there eating breakfast, and they all turn to look at us when we walk in.

"They look at us like we're the odd looking ones," I whisper to Gilbert as we sit at a table. He cracks a smile at that.

A plump lady with wiry hair and green paint on her cheeks approaches our table. "Hehehe. G'morning my dearies! Breakfast this morning is soaked oats." She waves a pudgy hand and several impish looking girls place bowls in front of us. "Enjoy!" she says in a singsong voice.

I look down at my bowl, and I'm surprised to see that it looks a lot better than it sounds. Bright berries have been mixed into the dark oats, which aren't as sludgy as I thought they would be. I tentatively spoon some into my mouth, and I smile at the burst of sweet, fruity flavor mixed with the earthy taste of the oats.

"This ain't that bad," Gilbert mumbles through a full mouth.

"Manners, brother," Ludwig chides.

The older Bear rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything. Instead, he spoons more oats into his mouth. We finish breakfast with full bellies, and sigh contently. A gangly looking boy with yellow eyes approaches our table right after get up to leave.

"If the champions could please come with me," he says in a raspy voice. It reminds me of branches scraping against each other in the wind.

He leads us outside to a large group of other boys. They look very different from one another, but they all have something weird about them. Many have leaves and sticks poking out of their hair, and many more have green paint somewhere on their bodies. A few boys have grass or mushrooms poking out of their clothes. Upon closer inspection, it appears as if it's growing off of them.

"We were hoping you could teach us how to fight," a boy with unusually long hair says.

"Yeah! We wanna fight!" a short boy shouts. Several other boys take up the cheer.

"We wanna fight! We wanna fight!"

"Woah, woah, woah," I yell as I wave my hands. "Hold on a minute. Why do you need to fight? You have a lovely village here. What is there to fight?"

The boys look at each other, and the youngest looking boy in the group steps forward. I kneel down to his level, and he meets my eyes shyly. "We need to fight the shadows," he whispers.


	14. Chapter 14: Forest Battle

A cold hand clutches my heart. "The shadows?"

The boy nods his head and rejoins his friends. I stand up and look at my group in shock. I see similar expressions on many of their faces. How do these kids know about these shadows? What is this place?

"What's going on here?" The same man with the wild hair that spoke to us before the feast approaches us.

"We want to learn how to fight!" one of the boys shouts. The others look at the wild haired man hopefully.

"Oh really." He look at us, and back at the boys. "Perhaps that would help our situation." This makes me curious, but I don't get a chance to ask. "I will allow it, if the champions are willing."

"Why not?" Gilbert says with a shrug. "Everyone needs to learn how to protect the people around them."

"For once I agree with Brother," Ludwig says with a nod.

"Wonderful!" the man exclaims. "I'll leave that to you two then. I'd like to talk to the others while you do so." He leads the rest of us away from the group of excited boys. "I guess I haven't introduced myself yet. I am called Kor, and I am what you could call the leader of this town." We salute to Kor and introduce ourselves in turn. "I am very honored to have the champions of the Protector here."

"How do you know we're the champions?" I ask him curiously.

He smiles mysteriously. "Now is not the time to reveal that to you, but I will explain in due time. I was actually hoping to ask you for a few favors." He looks to the Vargas twins. "Some of the women have asked for assistance weaving baskets. I was hoping you could help with that. I hear the Wolves are very skilled craftsmen."

"Veeee~! That sounds like fun!" Feli exclaims happily. "Let's do it Lovi!"

"They're waiting for you over there," Kor says with a point of his finger.

He indicates a small building with several young women milling around it. They wave coyly at the Wolves. Feli drags his brother to the building without another though. I could hear Lovino complaining his brother flirting the whole way.

Kor turns to Kiku next. "I was hoping you would like to read to our elders. Some of them are losing their eyesight but still enjoy a good story. We have many unique volumes to choose from."

I could tell Kiku was intrigued by the idea of reading some new stories. He can be quite the bookworm sometimes. "I will gladly accept. Thank you very much," he says with a bow.

"Excellent! They're waiting for you in that building over there." The wild haired man points to a decent size building next to the meeting hall, and Kiku leaves for it excitedly. "Now, I have something special planned for you."

His entire demeanor changes from cheerful to serious. I gulp nervously at the sudden reversal of character. This may have been a mistake to stay here.

"Please, come with me."

Kor leads me to another large building on the other side of the village. He opens the door and waits for me to enter. The inside is dark, and I can't tell what's in there. I slowly make my way in, keeping my senses on alert the whole time. What I see when my eyes adjust was not what I was expecting.

The building is full of sick people lying in beds moaning pitifully. They range in age from young children to aged elders. Many are shaking visibly, and several are sweating as if they had been running for miles. I look from pained face to pained face and raise a hand to my lips. I've never seen anything like this before.

"What's the matter with them?" I whisper as if talking too loud will cause these people more pain.

"We're not exactly certain," the wild haired man answers. "We were hoping you could help us."

I hesitantly walk to the bed closest to me. A little boy lays in it mewling with his eyes shut tight. I kneel next to the bed and pull the blanket back carefully. I gasp at what I see. Something that looks like a bad burn covers the boy's right arm. I gently pick it up for closer examination. The burns are have discolored the boy's skin to almost a black color.

"How did this happen?" I ask Kor as I put the whimpering boy's arm down.

"The shadows," he replies simply. "They've somehow come in contact with shadow creatures."

This reminds me of something from the legend. In the time of the legend, people and things could become infected and corrupted by the shadows. A chill goes down my spine thinking about it.

"What can I do?"

"I don't know," the leader of the village says. "I was hoping you could tell me."

An idea comes to my mind, and I hold my hands over the little boy's arm. "I've never tried this on an injury like this before, so I have no idea if it'll work." I let my energy flow, and a golden light envelops the area around my hands. I focus on removing the shadow burns from the boy's arm, but nothing seems to be happening. I concentrate harder and put more energy into it. The burn begins to lessen, yet the color doesn't disappear.

I finally have to stop because my energy is running low. The boy has a more peaceful look on his face, but the burns haven't completely disappeared. The black color still taints his skin. I gently place a hand on his clammy forehead. He seems to be a normal temperature, so I don't understand why he's not waking up. I rub at some green paint on his face, but it doesn't come off. Could it be that what I thought was paint is really the color of their skin?

"I tried my best," I tell Kor. "I don't know how much it helped."

"You've done more than you know," the wild haired man says with wide eyes. "I've never seen a shadow victim rest so peacefully. They always move about as if in great discomfort, yet they never wake up." He looks at the other victims. "If only we could give them all that peace."

I look at Kor with a newfound determination. "I can do it."

I sit behind the building of sick people a few hours later completely exhausted. My motivation made it easier to treat the next few patients, but I still used quite a bit of energy in the end. This new energy I've been able to tap into is something I'll have to learn more about. I lean my head back against the wall and sigh deeply. It's satisfying knowing I can help these people, even if I can't completely cure their shadow infection.

"Kesesese. So this is where you are." Gilbert walks around the corner carrying two plates of food. "Thought you'd like some lunch. Heard you've been working really hard."

"Hey Gil," I say tiredly. "Thanks." He hands me a plate piled with fruits and nuts. "How has the training been going?"

"It's awesome!" the Bear says with a big grin. "They learn really fast, and it's a lot of fun."

"I'm glad," I say with a soft smile.

"How about you?" Gilbert asks. "What are you doing?"

"Helping people that have been infected by the shadows," I respond. "It's tiring, but I love helping them as much as I can."

Gilbert pauses mid bite. "No kidding." He smiles widely at me. "That's something I like about you, Lizzie. You always think about others."

I blush at his compliment. "Thanks. You're like that too, you know."

"You think so?" He looks at me quizzically. "People don't usually think that about me."

"Well, I guess they don't see you the way I do."

"And how do you see me, Lizzie?"

His question takes me by surprise. I don't know how to answer it. It's true that I think he's an amazing guy, but I don't know how to tell him that. Or about the feelings in my heart.

The albino scoots closer to me and looks deep into my eyes. "Tell me, Lizzie. What am I to you?"

"I...I..." He leans in closer to me, and I'm finding it hard to think.

"I'll tell you what I think," Gilbert whispers.

He leans in far enough to softly touch his lips to mine. Unlike his very obtrusive personality, he kisses me very gently. His large hand comes up to lightly brush against my face. I lean into Gilbert's lips. This is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I can feel an energy flowing between us as our lips move in unison.

A rustling from the bushes a few yards away startles us apart. The building with the infected is right up against the woods, which are so thick almost no light filters through. We try to look at what could have possibly made the sound, but it's impossible to tell.

"What was that?" I ask nervously.

"I don't know," Gil responds.

"Let's grab our weapons and check it out."

We meet back up behind the building after retrieving our weapons from the house we had slept in. Cautiously, we approach the edge of the woods. Just at we do, something scurries off in the opposite direction from us.

"Follow it!" Gilbert shouts, and takes off after it.

I run after him through the dense forest. Trees an branches whip past my face as I do my best to keep up with the Bear. I can just barely make out the shadowy figure we're following into the deep wood. There's no doubt what we're chasing is some sort of shadow creature.

"Gil! Where is it going?"

"I don't know!" he shouts back. He comes to a sudden stop and holds his arms out to stop me. "Wait, Lizzie!"

I barely manage to stop at the edge of a large crater. "That was close," I say out of breath. I look down into the crater, and my eyes go wide. "What is that?"

"I have no idea," Gilbert replies in just as much shock.

At the bottom of the crater lies the nastiest looking thing I've ever seen. It looks like a large shadow blob with several writhing tentacles sprouting out of it. A few wave in the air, but most of them are stuck in the ground and pulse ominously. The thing has a large mouth that rises above its blobby body with rows of sharp teeth. I'd hate to meet this thing in the dark.

Gilbert steps back from the crater and summons his spirit animal. A snowy white bear appears next to him and let's out a low growl.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Prussia," Gil says with a small smile. "Look, I need you to go back to Sylvumbra and get the others. Make sure they have their weapons in case things get ugly. We're counting on you, buddy."

The bear turns and lumbers away back into the woods. We turn back to the giant blob.

"What do you think we should do?" I whisper.

"We can't go at it head on," Gilbert says thoughtfully. "We need a plan." He pulls out his axes, and I take it as a cue to extend my spear. "I say we go in and go hard."

The Bear jumps into the crater and charges the blob shadow with a loud yell. I follow after him with my spear ready to attack. I summon Hungary to help us right before I get to the nasty creature. She flies as high as she can without touching any of the low hanging branches of the forest.

"Elizabeta! I don't want to start the forest on fire!" she shouts in my head. "I can't help you!" She drops to a lower altitude and disappears in a puff of smoke and flames. So much for that idea.

"A little help here?" Gilbert yells. He's hacking at the tentacles that try to wrap themselves around him.

I spin my spear expertly over my head and slice several tentacles before they can reach the albino. I quickly have to fend more away from myself. The tentacles that are rooted in the ground also rise up to attack us, and the monster lets out a roar. I notice light pulsing in the appendages that were in the ground, and everything suddenly clicks.

"This thing is feeding off the energy of the forest!" I shout to Gilbert. "Cut all of the tentacles in the ground!"

We go after the limbs sunk deep into the ground. The severed ends disappear as soon as we slice through them. It quickly becomes apparent that we're outnumbered. The tentacles surround us on all sides.

"What do we do?" I scream in a panic.

"Fight harder!" Gilbert shouts back. He begins to emit a red energy that envelops him in power. It focuses itself on the edges of the Bear's double axes.

"Enhanced claws," I say in awe. It's just like the legend says.

He cuts down a huge section of tentacles, which allows us to escape, and the two of us hack and slice away as many writhing arms as we can. Soon there aren't any left. We take a moment to watch the shadow creature growl in agony before attacking its main body. A few stabs and slices leave it a lifeless blob that dissolves into dust.

"Well done. I see you've defeated my little pet." Kirkland steps out from behind a tree at the top of the crater. "I don't like it when people kill my servants. I'm going to have to teach you a lesson."

This is the first time I've seen his face since we met at the ceremony. He has messy hair and the biggest eyebrows I've ever seen. His eyes glow red as he starts to chant some nonsense words. Shadow creatures like the one we followed into the forest begin to appear from the dark places between trees. They swarm toward us at the bottom of the crater. Unlike the Walkers, they crawl on all fours and have sharp teeth. They hiss as they come after us.

"Have fun," Kirkland says with a twisted smirk.

"Get in the air!" Gil shouts. "There's too many of them!" He releases his energy and jumps up with his white wings extended. He hovers just under the tree canopy.

I snap open my wings and try to take off too, but something keeps me from getting off the ground. I turn around to see a shadow holding onto one of my golden feathers with its teeth. I try to tug the feather out of its mouth, but it won't let go.

"Jump, Lizzie! Jump!" Gilbert yells desperately.

"I'm trying!" I shout back. I hit the crawling shadow between its glowing red eyes with the blunt end of my spear. It falls back with a shriek as I jump into the air.

"Brother!" Ludwig roars as he and the others come tearing through the forest.

As soon as they appear, the shadow creatures scurry away as fast as they came. We're left with an empty crater in the middle of the forest.


	15. Chapter 15: Gifts of the Forest

Gilbert and I land at the bottom of the crater and look around. Everything is silent. We quickly join the rest of our group at the top of the pit.

"What the heck just happened?" Lovino asks us.

"I have no idea," I reply. "One minute they were after us, and the next they're gone."

"Did we scare them off?" Kiku questions as he slings his bow over his shoulder.

"I don't think so," Ludwig answers. "They had the advantage of numbers. The four of us wouldn't have scared away that many of them."

"Especially since their master was here." The others look at me with wide eyes. "The guy Gil and I saw was Kirkland, the shadow the Great Mother fought in the legend."

"Seriously?" Gilbert asks me. The others look around the area nervously.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Feli asks me in concern.

"No. I'm fine. Gil?"

"Never better!" he says with a grin. "Kesesese! We sure showed them! Even though it was the shadow guy, we still kicked butt! I used my awesome new power!"

Ludwig gives his brother a questioning look. "New power? You mean from the Temple?"

"Yep! It was awesome!"

"I've been meaning to ask about that," I interrupt. "Now that we have these powers, I can sense this energy. When I heal people, it uses the energy. Do you know what I'm talking about, Gil?"

"Eh, now that you mention it, I did feel something like that," the white haired Bear says. "It's kind of like when you summon your spirit animal. You feel it coming from the inside and it flows out. Like this!" He makes some weird hand gestures. "I don't know how else to describe it."

"Well, you did a pretty crappy job if you ask me," Lovino mutters.

Gilbert tenses but doesn't say anything back. "Hey, where's Prussia?"

Just then the white bear comes flying out of the woods and tackles his partner. The two of them go rolling down the crater. We're too surprised to react at first, but pretty soon we're laughing. Even Ludwig and Lovino are chuckling. All thoughts of Kirkland are forgotten.

"Nice one, idiot!" Lovino yells down to Gil.

Gilbert and the large bear are wrestling at the bottom of the crater as Gilbert shouts insults at his partner. This goes on until they're both too tired to fight each other.

"Alright...time to go back...talk to ya later, pal," the albino pants as the white bear fades away. Gilbert climbs back up to the rest of us and starts walking into the forest. "Let's get back. I'm sure it's time for dinner soon, and I have some questions for our friend Kor."

We walk through the woods back to Sylvumbra. I listen to Feli tell me all about basket weaving as we walk at the back of the group. It's mostly him telling me about all the cute girls he met, and not so much about actually making any baskets. I get the feeling he didn't actually make any.

"Lovi was being a crab though," Feli tells me as we exit the forest. "He just kept weaving baskets and ignored all of the pretty girls that tried to talk to him."

I giggle at the mental image that makes. I can just imagine the moody Wolf telling some girls to get lost as he tries to weave a basket.

"Hey! What are you saying about me back there!" the elder twin shouts to us.

"Nothing!" I shout back. I stifle my laughter as he turns around.

We walk past a lot of buildings, but there doesn't seem to be anybody inside of them. The town is eerily quiet, and it gives me a bad feeling. We end up at the large meeting hall, but it's empty too.

"Where is everyone?" Ludwig murmurs.

We head back outside, and find ourselves surrounded by the people of the village. I recognize many of the ones in the front as the sick people I had been treating earlier. They smile happily at me, and I can see that their shadow burns are gone. Kor steps forward with a big smile on his face.

"Champions of the Protector, you have done what we could not. You have destroyed the shadow monster that has plagued our forest and sucked its life energy. For that, we will forever be in your debt."

"First things first! What's going on here?" Gilbert demands. "We show up to some town that I didn't even know existed, and then you have some weird monsters running around here. What is this place?"

A sad look comes over the village leader's face. "We haven't been completely honest with you. It is true that we've lived here for centuries, but this village has only existed for a few weeks. We created it with our magic in hopes that someone would stop to help us, and here you are." He takes another few steps forward. "The people of this village are actually spirits and minor gods and goddesses of this forest."

He waves his hand, and everyone's appearance changes. People with vine and leaves in their hair now have vines and leaves for hair. Everyone's skin is now different shades of green, and their eyes vary from green to yellow to pink. They all wear leaves, bark, and flowers instead of clothes. Children that had insect wings have shrunken in size and look like cute little fairies. Some of the elders even have bark and mushrooms growing right from their skin.

Kor's appearance has changed the most. His skin is now completely olive green, and his eyes glow yellow like a cat's. They even have slits instead of pupils like a cat's. His wild hair has become grass and twigs, and it's no more tame than it was before. Moss and bark grow over his body like clothes, and dirt smudges his skin where it's exposed. He smiles impishly at us.

"My real name is Korinth-Natali. I am the minor god in charge of this forest." He bows deeply and we salute him in return. "When the shadows started to suck the life out of the forest, we didn't know what to do. We aren't strong deities, and some aren't deities at all. Those shadow victims you saw were infected because the life was being drained from the places they are guardians of."

Several of the little fairies flitter to me and each give me a small peck on the cheek. The spot where their lips touched my skin tingles slightly.

"You have defeated the shadows and restored peace to our forest," Kor tells us. He approaches me and places something in my hand. "This is to show our gratitude for the service you have done us. If you ever need assistance, play three notes on these pipes and help will find you. However, they will only summon help once, so choose carefully when you use them."

I look down at the set of carved wooden pipes just as Kor takes a step back. I look back up in time to see the buildings of the village begin to disappear. The forest spirits turn and flock to the forest, leaving us alone with their leader.

"Farewell, champions of the Protector. May you find strength for your journey."

Kor smirks one more time and lopes away into the forest as nimble as a deer.


	16. Chapter 16: Crossing Borders

I hadn't known what to expect once we reached the border.

It's been four days since our escapade at Sylvumbra, and we've continued walking toward the southeastern border between Bear and Wolf Territories. We left the forest clearing where the village had once been after reflecting on what had happened there. The pipes had been passes from hand to hand as everyone examined the gift from the forest spirits. I ended up holding onto it, and it's currently in my pack.

We had walked for the next two days until we reached Salictiligna to resupply. We left the same day. Our time helping the people at Sylvumbra had set is back a few days, and we needed to keep moving. We continued on our way until Feli stopped us.

"Wait, everyone!" he had suddenly called out. "Do you smell that?"

We all stopped to take a whiff of the air, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except to the Wolf twins.

"I smell it to!" Lovino had said excitedly. Without warning, he took off into the thinning woods with Feli on his heels.

That's how we end up following after them toward the edge of the forest. The sunlight is much brighter out in the open than in the shady woods where it is dimmed by the green canopy, and we have to cover our eyes as we burst through the woods. The contrast in the setting is surreal.

The forest abruptly ends, and the land seems to expand before our eyes. Miles of undisturbed horizon stretches out as far as the eye can see. Thick grass carpets the ground, and grows as high as my waist in some spots. The occasional tree stands guard over the lush grassland and gives the area a lonely look. That is until the wind blows and the grass ripples like a living being. The breeze stirs some butterflies from the wide variety of wildflowers growing here and there, and they flutter through the air in lazy circles.

"It's so different," I say in awe. I look back at the shady forest, which seems almost sinister in comparison to the bright, cheery grassland. I can distinctly smell the strong scent of heather, and I assume that's what the two Wolves must have smelt in the woods that got them so excited.

"We're home, Lovi!" Feli says excitedly as he hops around in the grass.

For once, Lovino has a huge smile on his face. "No more sleeping on rocks or hearing creepy sounds at night," he mumbles, mostly to himself. He turns to face the rest of us. "We'll show you how much better the Wolf Territory is compared to you idiot Bears'."

Gilbert's face twitches irritably, but he doesn't say anything. I quickly say something to ease the tension. "Why does it change so suddenly? It's like two different worlds."

"The goddesses respect each other's boundaries," Ludwig explains. "The forest does not cross into Wolf Territory, and the plains do not cross into Bear Territory."

"Not that they'd want to," Lovino adds rather rudely.

"Liza!" Feli calls happily. "Come pick flowers with me!"

I smile at the younger Wolf's cheerful expression. He's so excited over something so simple. I join him in a large patch of flowers and watch him tie stems together to make a necklace. When I was little I had learned to make crowns and jewelry out of flowers, so I begin picking pink and yellow flowers to fashion a crown for the Wolf.

"I suppose this is as good of a time as any for a break," Ludwig says with a sigh as he watches the two of us laugh over our flower creations.

Feli's first attempt at a necklace falls apart, but I help him fix it. He happily accepts the crown I make and struts around like royalty with it on. We make several more necklaces and crowns to distribute to the other members of our group. Ludwig gets a large orange necklace, and Kiku gets a white crown, both made by Feli. Lovino gets an orange and yellow crown from me. He blushes when I put it on his head, and he threatens to tear it to pieces if I try to put any more on him. He doesn't take the flower crown off though. I make one more long, pink and white necklace for Gilbert.

I find him sleeping in some tall grass, so I gently place the flowers around his neck the best I can. A small smile tugs at my lips as I think about the kiss we shared in Sylvumbra. We were interrupted before we could figure out what the kiss meant. Was it a spur of the moment decision, or did it have something real behind it? I study the peaceful Bear's face for an answer, but he sleeps on, oblivious to the fact that I'm standing next to him. I could even lean down and touch my lips softly to his without him noticing.

I never get to act on my impulse because something goes wrong. My legs loose all their strength and I drop to my knees. I'm shaking uncontrollably as a cold sweat breaks out over my skin. I do my best to focus on breathing as the shaking continues. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I count to ten over and over in my head to keep my mind off of the awful feeling in my chest, like something dark is gripping my heart.

The feeling begins to ease slightly, and my body stops shaking enough for me to stand up again. I walk away from Gilbert so I don't disturb him while I try to calm my racing heart. I'm almost completely back to normal now, and I make my way back to Feli, who is cheerfully making more flower necklaces to give to Ludwig.

"Hey, Liza!" The Wolf greets me with a big grin, which disappears as soon as he sees the unsteady condition I'm in. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I say quickly. It's not a complete lie since I feel a lot better than before. "I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine if I sit down for a while."

"Okay," Feli says. He accepts my answer but still looks concerned. "Oh, I know! Can I put flowers in your feathers and hair, Liza? You'll look so pretty!"

"Sure, Feli. Go for it."

I sit patiently as Feli carefully places flowers in my wings. It tickles slightly when he brushes some of my feathers aside, but I do my best to hold still. He also braids some flowers into my long hair. They're little pinpricks of color against my pale brown hair. I can tell the Wolf is really enjoying himself from the look on his face. He practically beams as he decides some delicate purple flowers would look better than larger orange ones on my golden wings. It's not long until he's finished and satisfied with his work, but a confused look crosses Feli's face, and he looks up at me questioningly.

"Liza, you're missing a feather," he says with concern laced in his voice.

I crane my head, but I can't get a good look that way. I stand up and slowly extend both of my wings for a better view, and despite my caution, a few flowers fall to the ground. True to Feli's words, my right wing is missing one of its primary feathers right near the tip. I furrow my brows as I try to figure out why it's missing.

"I shouldn't be molting yet," I murmur to myself. I rack my brain for an explanation for the absent feather. Then it dawns on me. "The Crawlers."

"Crawlers?"

"Yeah, those shadow creatures that we fought in the woods. The ones that disappeared as soon as you showed up. I call them Crawlers," I explain. I take another look at my wing. "One of them got a hold of a feather and must have pulled it out when I knocked it in the face."

"What's going on over here?" Gilbert's groggy voice startles me as he walks up behind me. "I wake up covered in flowers, and I figured it must have been you two since you're both covered in flowers too." He quickly looks over Feli, then me, but his eyes linger on me for a brief moment longer before flicking back up to our faces. "Pink isn't my color. It's totally not awesome."

"I think you look good," I say without thinking.

The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk, and I blush at what I just admitted to. It wouldn't have been as embarrassing if Feli wasn't standing right there.

"Well, if Lizzie says I look awesome, then it must be true." Gilbert comes close enough so only I can hear what he whispers next. "You look good covered in flowers too. Good enough to carry away and never bring back." He chuckles softly as my blush deepens. His gaze falls on the empty space where my feather should have been. "What happened to your wing?"

"Crawlers," I say simply. I'm a little breathless from Gilbert's close proximity.

The Bear lightly brushes his fingers across my feathers, which sends a shiver down my spine. "Are you okay? It doesn't hurt, does it?" The concern in his voice makes me smile a bit. I'm not used to people caring about me so much.

"No, I didn't even notice it until now," I tell him. My mind keeps wandering back to our kiss, and I wonder if he's thinking about it too.

"Be a little more carefull next time, Lizzie. I don't know what I'd do if-"

He never finished his sentence because I collapse to the ground. I grasp my head in between my hands as pain pulses beneath my skull. It feels as if a blacksmith is pounding thick iron spikes into my head in time with my heartbeat. The throbbing increases to stay in tempo with my panicked heartbeat. I'm vaguely aware of a piercing shriek nearby, and it takes a few painful moments to realize it's coming from me.

Several faces pass through my vision, but it's hard to tell who it is through my half closed eyes. The only thing I'm sure of is the pain that won't go away. It doesn't worsen, but it doesn't lessen either. The monotony is another kind of pain in and of itself.

Suddenly, my eyes focus on one face in particular. It's impossible not to notice the mess of white hair on Gilbert's head, and the piercing red eyes that look at me with worry and something else I can't place. I can feel his arms wrap around me tightly. His mouth is moving, but I can't process what he's saying.

"...zie...eve...ing...is...oing to be...jus...st...ith me a...ttle longer."

I wish that I could make out what he was saying, but my consciousness is growing hazy. Thinking becomes as difficult as wading through waist deep mud. Add the pounding pain on top of that and it's like trudging through mud while being repeatedly prodded with a sharp stick. A really big, really sharp stick.

Mercifully, my eyes slip shut, and I fall into the unfeeling state of unconsciousness.


	17. Chapter 17: Oblivion

The first thing I notice is that the pain is gone. The second thing is the ground is really hard. I slowly open my eyes, expecting to be blinded by sunlight, but nothing of the sort happens. The ground is neither cool nor warm under my cheek, and it takes me a moment to realize I'm lying on my stomach instead of my side. My vision is slightly blurry, but I can definitely tell this is not the same place I was when I passed out.

"Gilbert? Kiku? Feli?" I call out in a rough voice. There's no response, and I push myself up to look around. "Ludwig? Lovino?"

I'm met with an ominous silence. I swivel my head around to try to get my bearings. This definitely doesn't look like Wolf Territory. To my left the land looks like a broken mess of stone and large masses of earth. It's like a mountain crumbled to pieces, and this is the left over debris. To my right there's a beach made of gray sand. It meets the largest body of water I've ever seen in my life. The word "ocean" comes to mind, but I've never seen one before since they're just a rumor in Elarium. I imagine this is what it would look like though.

I carefully stand up and brush the dust and off of my clothes. The broken land doesn't look promising, so I walk toward the shoreline. Everything is different shades of black and gray, including the water that noiselessly laps at the shore. There's no noticeable source of light in the dreary, gray sky, which makes the whole landscape seem like it's made of shadows, but not at the same time. Silent shadows that could be hiding anything.

My body involuntarily shivers, not from cold, but the eeriness of this place. How had I gotten here? The last thing I remember was Gilbert trying to talk to me and throbbing pain. Horrible, unbearable pain. At least nothing hurts here, but there's not a lot of other feeling happening here either. It's not hot or cold, bright or dark, happy or sad. This place just is.

Standing around isn't going to do me any good, so I start walking down the beach. I can feel the sand shifting beneath my feet, but it doesn't make a sound. The only thing I can hear is the sound of my own breathing, which is beginning to drive me a little crazy. I pause to look around again, but it's as if I haven't moved at all. The landscape looks exactly the same as before, and I wonder if I really have made any progress or not.

"What is this place?" I murmur to myself. Even though it was hardly more than a whisper, my voice rings out loudly.

"This is my home," a voice from behind me answers.

I whirl around to see a shadowy, cloaked figure sitting on some of the rubble that's behind the beach. He seems too far away to have sounded so close, but nothing seems to work here the way it should. I jog over to the figure, and my eyes widen when I realize it's Kirkland sitting on a broken rock with a large grin on his shadowy face.

"Welcome to Oblivion," he says in a mocking way. "Make yourself at home because you won't be leaving for quite some time, I assure you."

"How did I get here?" I ask him tersely. "What is this place, exactly?"

"You're here because I brought you here," he replies with a smirk. "At least your mind is here. I'm not strong enough to bring your body here...yet." He practically spits the last word at me. "And here is where I've spent most of my existence. It's a kind of netherworld. A world that isn't."

Kirkland hops of his rock and begins to circle around me. His eyes stare into me as if he's trying to pick out every weakness and flaw in my soul. He reaches out a hand and trails his fingers along my face. I flinch at the coldness of his touch. His fingers are cool like a place that has always been in shadows, somewhere never touched by the warming rays of the sun.

"This is the awful place where people like me have been doomed to stay for the rest of eternity. People who have committed some horrible treason against the goddesses. There is nothing here. There is no warmth, but there is no cold. No happiness, but no sadness. No hunger, but no contentment."

He walks down to the water, and I follow him. He scoops up dark water between his hands and motions with his eyes for me to put out my hands. I comply, but reluctantly. Kirkland is the enemy I'm supposed to fight, and I wouldn't put it past him to try to trick me. He must realize the reason behind my hesitation and smirks.

"Don't worry, love. I'm not going to hurt you. You're already trapped here with almost no hope of escape. It'll be more satisfying for me to watch you suffer here than kill you." He laughs darkly as he lets the water pour into my outstretched hands.

I expect the water to be ice cold, but I hardly feel it as it dribbles into my hand. I slosh it around a bit then let it fall to the sand. The damp sand becomes almost black where the water lands.

"See what I mean?" Kirkland says with a quirk of an oversized eyebrow. "It's not cold. It's not warm. It is, but it isn't." He stalks away from the water without another glance back. "Are you coming or not?"

I follow the shadow man back toward the broken landscape. He jumps up onto some jagged rocks and turns around to offer me a hand up. I look at him quizzically, which causes him to smile.

"I may be trying to plunge your world into shadow, but that doesn't mean I'm not a gentleman."

I debate whether I should accept his hand or not. I don't want to be rude, but then again, Kirkland isn't someone that necessarily warrants my manners. In the end, I clasp his hand, and he pulls me up onto the rock.

"What's beyond this?" I ask him as I gaze across the rugged horizon. "What else is out there?"

"I guess I should tell you since you'll be spending the rest of your life here," Kirkland says with a smile full of malice. "If you go far enough you'll find another shore just like that one," he says as he points behind him. "No one knows if it's the same one or if this is an island. No one cares enough to find out. This is a land of perpetual twilight, love, and it'll suck your will to live." He pauses long enough for a crazed look to cross his face. "That is, unless you have a reason to live. A reason to fight on."

I watch in horror as he cackles maniacally. "What made you like this?"

Kirkland's glowing red eyes shine brightly as he turns to look at me. "This place made me like this. It emptied me of everything except my desire for revenge." He hops to another rock as nimbly as an acrobat. "I was banished here because I wanted more than what your goddesses thought I deserved."

I stare at him in horror. "Who are you?"

"Me, love?" he says amusedly. "I am Arthur Kirkland. The Lord of Oblivion. The shadow of legends. Or perhaps I should tell you I am a former god of magic."

A small gasp escapes my lips. "You were a god? But...why-"

"Was I banished?" He finishes my sentence as if he can read my mind. "It's really quite simple. I wanted power, more than I already possessed, but the goddesses didn't like that one bit." He laughs again, but this time without humor. "So, to prevent me from doing anything they wouldn't...approve of...they sent me to this wasteland to rot."

He turns away from me and hops to another rock. If he keeps going he'll eventually blend in with the shadowy landscape to the point where I can't see him anymore. I don't feel comfortable with the idea of him disappearing on me, so I follow his lead and jump to a hunk of earth close to the shadow man. I flare my wings out to balance me as I land, which catches Kirkland's attention.

"You angels and your wings," he says in a voice sprinkled with dark mirth. "Lovely things they are." He reaches out a hand to touch the wingtip that is missing a feather. "Yet, they are your greatest weakness. So easily damaged, so easily manipulated." A wide, toothy grin stretches across his face. "I never did tell you exactly how I brought you here, did I, love?"

"No, you haven't," I answer warily. I'm not sure what he's getting at.

"Maybe this will make things more clear." The shadow man pulls a feather out from behind his cloak. "Look familiar?"

There's no mistaking where he got the feather from. It's been tainted to a shadowy gray color, but gold still glitters through some parts as if it hasn't been completely saturated with shadow.

Kirkland must notice me tense because his smile grows. "This is how I brought you here, darling. I have not recovered enough power to physically bring you here, but my curse was strong enough to bring your mind here, and that's enough for now." He twists the tainted feather between his fingers. "Once it turns completely black your body will be brought here, and you'll never be able to leave."

I tense my legs as subtly as possible, and spring at Kirkland faster than the eye can follow. He somehow manages to anticipate my move, and is gone before I reach the rock he was standing on. I land on it long enough to push off into the air. It makes me uncomfortable that I can't see the shadow man. I hover as I search for him on the debris below.

"Looking for someone?"

I shoot away from Kirkland's voice, but he suddenly appears in front of me.

"I can see that your wings are going to be a nuisance, love, so I'm going to have to do something about it."

He snaps his fingers, and my wings fold closed against my back and refuse to move. I plummet to the ground and land roughly on my back. Luckily, I don't land on anything sharp or pointed. That doesn't mean it hurts any less. My landing forces the air from my lungs, and I hear a distinct snap as one of my ribs is forced into an unnatural position. I would scream if there was air in my lungs, but all I can do is writhe in pain, and try not to fall off the large rock I landed on.

"Like I said," Kirkland purrs into my ear. "Easily damaged, easily manipulated." He stands up straight and looks down at me. "Your time is running out, love. Soon you will have no way to leave this place. I suggest you find something worthwhile to think about for eternity."


	18. Chapter 18: Oblivion's Heart

I don't know how long I've been laying on the ground. Time doesn't seem to work the same here either. I try to move as little as possibly because the smallest twitch sends a searing pain up my side. I've never broken a bone before, and it wasn't an experience I had thought I'd have to go through all by myself in a shadowy netherworld.

It takes all my strength not to break down when I force myself to sit up. I grit my teeth against the pain until it settles back into a dull ache. My eyes are shut tight, and I let my head hang between my knees until the nauseous feeling in my stomach dies down. For a world in which I'm not supposed to feel much, I'm feeling quite a bit.

I slowly open my eyes once I'm confident that I can keep it together. Kirkland is still here, but he's moved to a different rock. He smiles crookedly at me when he sees I'm moving.

"Well, I'm glad a little fall like that wasn't enough to put the Savior of Elarium out of business," he says with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I ignore him and stand up. The pain is starting to subside, but it flares up again as I move. A small hiss escapes me as I try my hardest not to show any weakness. I place a shaky hand in the general area of the broken rib and try to gather my energy there. It's sluggish, but my energy eventually makes its way to my hands. The glow it gives off can be described as pathetic at best. I wait for something to happen, but nothing does.

"That's an interesting power you have there," Kirkland says as he appears right next to me. He grabs my wrist and yanks my hand up closer to his face. I yelp as the movement sends pain down my side. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to be so rough," he says with more amusement than sincerity. "Looks like this power wasn't meant to be used on yourself. Still, it's a nice thought. Too bad it doesn't work."

The shadow man releases my hand, and I pull it back quickly. His touch unnerves me because it requires him to be in close proximity with me. He must sense my discomfort because he moves even closer.

"Let me help you with that."

His voice is almost pleasant, which makes him sound even more dangerous. Without warning, Kirkland jabs two fingers into my side, right by the broken rib. A scream tears through my throat as pain explodes from the side of my chest. I drop back to my knees, which feels like defeat after all the work I went through just to stand up.

"Come on. Snap out of it, love," Kirkland says as he brushes my hair out of my face. If I wasn't gasping with pain I'd be repulsed by his intimate touch. "It's all better now, see?" He gently pokes my side again, and surprisingly, it doesn't hurt. I clutch my side in shock. "Don't look so surprised," he says with a smirk.

"You almost sound like you care," I say through gritted teeth.

This gets the shadow man all bent out of shape. "Geh...er...eck! It...it's not like that!" he practically shouts. "I just thought it wouldn't be as fun to watch you suffer if you can barely move! Don't mistake that for kindness!"

"Whatever you say," I mumble as I stand up. I hop to the next rock and the next without looking back. "Thanks, Kirkland, but I'll be on my way now."

"Where are you going?" he shouts. I can't hear him moving, but I don't doubt he's following me. "I didn't say you could go anywhere!"

I pause to let the shadowy man catch up, and his eyes blaze when they lock onto mine. "I didn't know I needed your permission." I purposely add a little extra sass to my voice, and I can tell it annoys him.

"I am the Lord of Oblivion! I dictate what goes on around here," Kirkland says indignantly.

"And just how did you get all this authority, your shadowy highness?"

He ignores my teasing and looks at me with a serious expression. "I didn't fade away like the others."

"Others?" I question. "Where are they?"

"Keep going and you'll find out," he replies mysteriously.

Kirkland doesn't bother waiting for me, and continues to jump from rock to rock. I follow him further in to this strange world, and away from the beach where I woke up. It's not that I trust the man that commands the shadows, but he's proven that he doesn't mean to kill me while I'm here. Yes, while I'm here, because I plan on escaping. I just have no idea how yet.

We leap across the broken landscape for what could be hours, or it could be minutes. It's impossible to gauge how much time actually goes by in this shadowy place. I focus on the bobbing figure of Kirkland ahead of me. He's told me quite a bit more than I'd expect from someone who's supposed to be my mortal enemy. He's either confident I'm not leaving this place, or he has some other motive to try to gain my trust. It occurs to me for a split second that he could just be lonely and need someone to talk to. If I wasn't hopping across a bleak land I'm supposedly never going to leave, I would've laughed at the thought.

Suddenly, Kirkland disappears, and I realize we've come to the end of the debris strewn land. I hop down from my rock onto flat ground. The scene that meets my eyes is like nothing I've ever seen. Grass that's taller than me grows in an almost impenetrable gray wall in front of us. I'm afraid that walking into the grass means being swallowed up by it, which I don't imagine is how I get out of here.

"What now?" I ask the shadow man, who looks at me mischievously.

"You just walk, and it takes you wherever you need to be. It has limits of course," he adds.

"So it won't take me out of here," I mumble. I knew it would be too much to hope for.

"Why in such a rush to leave, love?" Kirkland says with a suggestive smirk. "Don't like being here with me?"

My mind flashes to Gilbert without being bidden to. I feel a small flutter in my chest when I think about his smile, and those piercing red eyes. Unlike Kirkland's, Gil's red eyes have a sparkle that makes me trust him with my life.

"Sorry, as much as I love what you've done with this place, there's someone I have to get back to."

Kirkland looks at me, and his large brows furrow in confusion when he sees my smile. "And who could that possibly be?"

"It doesn't matter," I say teasingly. I'm sure not telling him is going to drive the shadow master nuts. "Let's go because, personally, I want to know where I'm supposed to be."

I fearlessly step through the wall of gray grass with Kirkland hot on my heels. The grass seems to bend out of the way for me, and I follow the path it creates. I strut through the grass with confidence, but the shadow handler behind me seems nervous. He stays as close to me as he can without actually climbing on my back.

I turn around and give him a look. "What? The Lord of Oblivion is scared of some grass?"

"N-no!" he shouts back defensively. "I just...I don't like where it takes me sometimes...that's all." He looks around nervously.

"Where has it taken you?" I ask. I'm genuinely curious about a place that makes the high and mighty Kirkland quake in his black leather boots.

"Your rather not know," he says darkly. "There are darker depths to this place that you'd rather not see." Kirkland's serious expression brightens a little, and a small smirk tugs on his lips. "But you'll see them eventually, love. You have all of eternity to explore this dismal land."

"We'll see about that," I tell him with a smirk of my own. Thoughts of Gilbert once again flitter across my mind as we exit the grass field.

Kirkland pushes past me in, what I assume, is an attempt to get away from the monochromatic grass. He runs toward a gigantic tree at the top of a gently sloping hill. It easily dwarfs the tree that I saw in front of the Maple Manor at Monteurbem. I follow him toward the gray tree, which seems to be surrounded by the tall, gray grass. It grows in a circle around the tree's hill as if it couldn't come closer if it wanted. The shadowy man stops at the base of the tree and places a hand on it.

"This is very interesting," Kirkland says to me. "It's not often that someone is led here."

"Why? What is this place?"

"Some people think this is the center of Oblivion, if there is such a thing." The shadow handler turns to me with a grin. "Would you like to hear a story?"

I shrug. "I guess so. Not much else to do here. I'll be leaving soon anyway."

"Confidence, that's way I like about you, Elizabeta." His voice makes my name sound like a guilty pleasure, and I shiver in disgust. I've been telling myself that the look in Kirkland's eyes don't contain hints of something I don't really like. Longing, desire, lust. I keep trying to convince myself, but it's not working.

A single rustle draws our attention. A shadowy, hunched figure emerges from the tall grass. It slowly hobbles across the empty circle where the tree stands and disappears back into the tall grass. Several more emerge from the grass after the first. They fade in and out of visibility as they limp, and some flicker as if they're a mirage that doesn't actually exist. A few of them walk back into the grass, but others stay in the circle of the tree. They move closer to the two of us standing under the gray tree's dark branches.

"What are they?" I ask with wide eyes.

"Other souls banished to exist here for the rest of eternity, if you can call this existing," he answers with contempt coloring his voice. "This place drains away their life force until they are mere shadows of what they used to be, which is very convenient for me."

Kirkland raises his hand and mutters some words under his breath. The faded figure he's gesturing at freezes. It doubles over on itself, and its limbs contort in impossible ways. I don't hear it make a noise, but I can imagine pained screaming in my head. The shadow takes on a more familiar shape and red eyes open to glare at me. In the place of the half faded figure now stands a Walker with claws extended.

"They don't call me the shadow handler for nothing, love," Kirkland says with a smirk. "The one perk of this place is that it offers me as many creatures as I need to cover your world in an endless twilight." The shadowy man's eyes burn brightly as his excitement grows. "And now that you're stuck here, there's nothing you, or those pesky goddesses, can do about it."


	19. Chapter 19: Tree of Light

The Walker Kirkland created looks around as if it's never seen its surroundings before. It moans softly and wanders away.

"Will it be alright on its own?" I ask Kirkland as it disappears into the grass.

"Showing compassion for a creature you'd kill without a second thought?" the shadow handler asks with a raised eyebrow. "How...twisted."

"It's not like that," I say in my own defense. "I only kill them because you make them attack me and my friends."

"Touché," the shadowy man says with a chuckle. "Are you still in the mood for a story, love?"

"Sure, why not?" I settle on the ground against the tree. Despite the fact it looks lifeless, I can sense a weak, thrumming life force deep within the tree. I try to hone in on it, but Kirkland's voice disturbs me.

"This netherworld of being and not being did not always exist," he explains in a smooth voice. It flows like silk around me, but I do my best not to get snared by it. "The goddesses created it as a place to send those who they say have committed crimes too great to repent of. It was made as a place for people to reflect on what they've done, but what the goddesses didn't count on, was for it to become a corrupt and shadowy place."

The master of shadows gestures, with his back toward me, to the land around us. "The ill will of those who were banished here slowly tainted this place to be empty of feeling and color. Eventually those people faded away too, or they did until I came here to give them purpose."

"By purpose you mean turning them into mindless creatures to do your evil bidding?" I ask sarcastically.

"Ah ah ahhhh." Kirkland turns around and wags a finger in my face. "Don't interrupt someone when they're telling a story, love. It's rude."  
He grins at me and continues his story. "Now where was I? Oh yes, I came here and gave this place meaning. I gained more power than I could've imagined from the dark feelings of the inhabitants, which I used to crown myself Lord of Oblivion."

A cackle from the shadowy man echoes around the empty field, and his eyes glow menacingly. "I used my power to escape from this dismal prison and begin my revenge against the goddesses that condemned me." The grin on his face contorts into a sneer as if an unpleasant thought crossed his mind. "Unfortunately, that meddler Matrisus had to get involved and ruin all of my plans. She sent me back to this miserable place with my power in shambles, but fear not, love. I'm back and ready for another go. Now that that pesky goddess is out if the way, nothing can stop me!"

"I'll stop you," I tell the shadow handler. I set my face in a steely, determined expression. "I'm not going to let you win."

"We shall see about that, love," Kirkland says softly. He gently traces my jawline with his finger. "You have the perfect opportunity to stop me now, but you don't have the power to do that yet."

I don't know if it's because of his cool, unnerving touch, or the words he spoke, but my confident facade slips a little. "W-what do you mean?"

"How about another story?" the shadow man says as he walks past me a little ways. "Don't fret, this one is fairly short."

"What's this one about?" I ask with minimal interest. I don't really want to hear another story about Kirkland and his ego.

"Oh, I think you'll like this story," he says with a sly smirk. "It's about you, love."

"Me?" I ask in surprise. That was unexpected.

"Yes, you. You see this tree here?" He indicates to the gray tree I'm sitting up against. "The Great Mother planted this tree in the supposed heart of Oblivion as a fail safe in case I ever escape again. It is known, ironically, as the Tree of Light. Doesn't really live up to its name, does it?"

"What does this have to do with me?" I ask with narrowed eyes. I'm not sure I like where this is going.

"It has everything to do with you." Kirkland's grin widens, and takes on a menacing look. "You're the only one that can tap into the dormant powers of the Tree and purge this place of its dark power, and in doing so, destroying my power."

"How?" My eyes go wide at what the shadowy man is implying. If he's telling the truth, that means I'm closer to fulfilling my my role than I ever was before.

Kirkland turns away and gives me a nonchalant shrug. "I don't really know. All I know is that you're supposed to be like Matrisus, so you're the only one that has the potential to stop me. And I say potential because in your current state, love, you couldn't dream of reviving this tree. You could barely muster enough energy to attempt healing yourself."

I watch the shadowy man pace back and forth for a while before engaging him again. "Why are you telling me all this?" I ask him warily. Even if he is telling the truth, there has to be a catch to all of this.

"Because you're going to be stuck here forever, and I thought you'd like to know how close you were to succeeding before you failed."

I stand up and make sure I put plenty of warning into my voice as I speak. "Like I said, I have someone to see. I'm not going to be here much longer."

"That's what you think," the shadow handler says as he faces me. He holds up my tainted feather, which has darkened since the last time I saw it. "As long as I have this, your consciousness is bound to Oblivion by my curse. When it turns completely black, your body will also be trapped here."

I barely let Kirkland finish before snatching the feather from his hand. "So all I have to do is get rid of this?" I crush the dark feather in my fist, and it crumbles into a gray dust that resembles the sand on the beach. "Now what?"

"You...!"

Kirkland growls like an angry animal at me. His red eyes flash dangerously, and he begins to grow until he stands three times my height. He's hunched over, and his hands seem to have enlarged and grown claws. Suddenly, he shrinks back to his original size so fast I barely caught it. I would've missed it had I blinked.

"It's of no importance to me if the curse is gone. Your mind is still trapped here, leaving your body in Elarium an empty shell, and there's no way you can get back on your own, love." Kirkland puts on a show of confidence, but he runs his hand through his messy hair nervously. "I've still won in the end."

"Oh really?" I taunt with a raise of an eyebrow. "We'll see what the Tree of Light has to say about that." I have no clue whether what I'm about to do will work or not, but I'm hoping he won't call my bluff.

I place a hand on the gigantic tree and send my energy out into it. A soft pulse, like a weak heartbeat, meets my golden energy, which begins to thrum in unison. I feel my mind brushing up against another consciousness, and I pull back slightly, but the other life force calls me back kindly.

"Elizabeta...Elizabeta..."

I turn to look at the tree behind me. I swear it just talked to me, and said my name on top of that. Kirkland must not have heard it, but he definitely notices my surprised movement.

"What do you think you're doing?" he questions, but I have no intention of answering.

"Elizabeta...take...power...go...home..."

"Home?" The simple word has never sounded so good in my life.

"Go...home...will...wait...he...needs...you..."

"Who? Who needs me?" I desperately ask the Tree, but it begins to pull its consciousness away. "Gilbert? Is something happening to Gilbert? Please, wait!" I try with all my might to hold on, but the Tree severs our connection. A small amount of its energy remains, and I absorb it like I was told to.

This energy is like nothing I've ever felt before. The power from the Tree flows through my body, and I feel it unlock something inside, something that's been dormant my whole life. My senses expand in a way I've never experienced, or perhaps it's a new sense all together. I can feel the faint energy that weakly pulses in the Tree of Light, and I can feel the dark energy that flows throughout the whole land. The most overwhelming energy in the area comes from Kirkland. It's a massive swirling mass of different feelings. Hate, disgust, contempt, anger, annoyance, and hidden behind it all, loneliness.

He notices a change in my countenance, and glares at me with distrust. "I don't know what you just did, but it won't help you. No one from Oblivion can save you now."

As soon as the words leave his lips, I feel a tugging sensation on my shoulders. It's very faint at first, but it slowly grows in intensity. Warmth spreads from my lips to the rest of my body as I begin to shine with the purest energy I've ever felt.

"N-no! This can't be right!" Kirkland shouts in disbelief. "There's no way someone can be calling you back to Elarium! You're an orphan! You don't have anyone that loves you!"

"Gilbert," I whisper to myself. "Kiku...Feli...Are you calling me back?"

"This is impossible! The only way you could be brought back is through true love! This isn't possible!" The master of shadows drops to his knees while glaring daggers at me. "I could've made you Queen of Oblivion! I could've saved you from the pain I'm about to unleash on your world! I won't take it easy on you anymore! I'll tear apart everything that's important to you! And then I'll get you! I'll bring you back here and make you suffer!" he screams. A crazed look has come over his features, and all pretense of friendliness has disappeared. He downright hates me.

"I'm sorry, Kirkland," I tell him as I begin to rise in the air. I can feel a disturbance in the energy of the netherworld, and I assume I don't have much time left. "I have to go, but I promise I'll be back! You can count on it!"

I can't be sure he even heard what I said because at that moment I get sucked into some kind of portal and black out.

Unlike the unfeeling world I woke up to last time, I wake to the feeling of gentle warmth. It envelops my whole body, but it's concentrated at my lips. My eyelids flutter open, and my eyes lock with bright red ones above me. For a moment I'm afraid something went horribly wrong and I'm back with Kirkland in Oblivion. Then I notice the depth of emotion swirling in the crimson pools, and I know it can't be the shadow handler.

"Elizabeta."

I swear my name has never sounded so beautiful than when it came from Gilbert's lips.


End file.
